Naruto of the Mist
by Hamp24
Summary: AU. Kushina never went to Konoha to become the next Kyubi Jinchuriki. Instead, she stayed in Uzu and met another man. However, Uzu was eventually destroyed along with most of its shinobi. Before succumbing to death, Kushina managed to get her newborn, Naruto, out and into a neighboring village, Kirigakure. How will Naruto's journey change being a shinobi of Kiri? Let's find out.
1. Prologue

**This story hit me while I was reading one of these story challenges someone sent me. I'm not doing their challenge per say but I figured I'd give credit to my influence. So to the fanfic user, Greenblue22, I thank you. Enjoy.**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. But I'm popping these stories out like Octomom did with babies. So Suck It.

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**Chapter 1: Prologue**

"Naruto! Naruto! You get back here!" shouted a woman out the door as a boy went running out of it ahead of her. About 30 seconds later, a swirl of water began to form next to the woman. The woman turned her head back as she looked at the man now standing behind her.

The man was short, no taller than 4 foot 10 inches tall. Despite his childlike stature, he was an adult male around 30 years of age with messy green hair, pink pupil less eyes and a stitch like scar running under his left eye all the way down his cheek. He was wearing a grey, sleeveless shirt with a forehead protector attached to the front with a short-sleeved mesh armor underneath. He also wore a green poncho along with a turquoise sash around his waist, paired with a green apron over his pants. Finishing his outfit was a pair of brown boots, and on his back he carried a staff-like pole weapon with uneven sized hooks with a green flower on the larger end.

"I'm so sorry. It's a pleasure to see you here again. I'm certain you wanted to see Naruto-kun but he always takes off like that when-" started the woman before being cut off by the man.

"When I'm around. I know. He is a shrewd and skilled boy wouldn't you say." said the man as the woman nodded at him.

"Oh yes. Naruto-kun is one of a kind. I've never seen someone of his age, with such an advanced thought process. It's really impressive." said the woman as the man nodded his head with a smile.

"Yes and his potential seems limitless. But being that he doesn't want to speak to me. Then please let him know that in six weeks time, we shall take him to hone his shinobi abilities. For we need someone of his talents in the war eventually, especially with a sensory ability such as his." said the man as the woman nodded her head back.

"Of course, of course. I'll be sure to let him know. Is there anything else that you need?" questioned the woman as the man shook his head slightly.

"No no, that is all. I will be on my way. Until then, please keep him safe. He is very important to our future plans." said the man before disappearing in a swirl of water, leaving the woman alone. Two minutes later, the woman blew out a breath as she turned around to see the same boy she was yelling at before, the one she called Naruto, standing behind her.

"Naruto-kun. You can't keep running out on your Kage like that." said the woman as she looked at Naruto.

"Mother. I don't want to help him. He feels...bad." said Naruto, as the woman picked Naruto up into her arms. "Why can't I just stay here at the orphanage until someone adopts me. But that won't happen because since he wants me, no one can have me." finished Naruto a little saddened at that realization.

After kissing Naruto on the cheek, the woman spoke to him. "Don't worry Naruto. One day you'll grow strong enough to stop this war. And on that day, I'll be proud to know that I raised such a man." said the Orphanage Mother as she took a good look at Naruto. "Now you go and play with the other kids Naruto-kun while I go make some dinner."

Naruto happily nodded his head after being let down by the Orphanage mother before he scampered off to play. As Naruto was running away, the Orphanage Mother took notice of the symbol on the back of Naruto's shirt. The symbol consisted of just a simple spiral.

_"Uzumaki Clan. Naruto is surely Kushina-sama's son. Kami rest her soul." _said the Orphanage mother. _"It's so sad to know that the Uzumaki clan got wiped out during the Third World War. I'm just glad Kushina got Naruto-kun out of there and to me before succumbing to her eventual death."_

The mother then took notice of Naruto's spiky, white hair that held a red tint to it. _"But that white hair is trademark of his father's, a Hozuki clan member if Kushina wasn't lying about that. If that is true, Naruto-kun just may become one of Mizu's strongest shinobi's one day. And if that's the case, I have to make sure he is on the correct side. I just...must."_

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_(Six Weeks Later)_

It was around noon as a man led Naruto down a path. That man was the same man who'd come earlier to speak with him but couldn't due to Naruto running off when he arrived. It was a long goodbye for Naruto as he was leaving his home of the orphanage for the first time, and not with parents. As they were walking, the man leading Naruto attempted to converse with the six-year-old.

"Well Naruto-kun. It's finally good to meet you." said the man as he turned his head slightly to look back at Naruto. "I've heard so much about you already. But have you heard of me? Do you know who I am?"

Naruto continued to walk with his head down and didn't seem to want to answer. The man seemed at a lost because he'd been trying to seem amicable to Naruto but just couldn't get through to him. However, that all changed when Naruto spoke up for the first time.

"You're Yagura-sama. The Yondaime Mizukage**, **S rank shinobi in the bingo books and jinchuriki of the Sanbi." said Naruto in a quiet, composed tone unfit for a six-year-old.

_"It seems he really is knowledgeable. Only six years old. I will make him into the best shinobi possible. And with his lineage, he could produce great results and eventually become my right hand man." _thought Yagura as he continued walking with Naruto following close behind.

"Very good Naruto-kun. Exactly what I wanted to hear." said Yagura smiling. "Now, do you know what will happen?"

Naruto never looked up at Yagura as he spoke toward the ground once again. "Training. Then I'll be helping you in the war." said Naruto as Yagura nodded again.

"Quite the astute one you are Naruto-kun. I will be seeing to your training personally, in fact, I'm going to give you a gift if you prove yourself worthy." said Yagura, looking back at Naruto once more to see him pick up his head.

"A gift Mizukage-sama? What would that be?" said Naruto, perking up slightly to finally look Yagura in the eyes.

_"Those purple eyes along with that white hair. He's got the traits of a Hozuki clan member." _thought Yagura before smiling at Naruto. "Yes Naruto-kun. What do you know about the Seven Swords of the Mist?" questioned Yagura as Naruto's eyes' seemed to light up a little at Yagura mentioned a sword.

"The Seven Swords of the Mist?! The seven swords of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Some of the greatest swords ever crafted. Is my gift one of those?" questioned Naruto excitedly as Yagura shook his head slightly.

"Only if your training goes as planned, then you will get one. If not, then I'll have to find other options for you my young apprentice. But for now, we will focus on making you a shinobi. One who in four years time, I shall thrust into the world to compete in a Chunin Exams to thoroughly find out your potential against the other aspiring Chunins of your age group." said Yagura as he looked back at Naruto. "If you make Chunin, one of the swords will be yours. That is a promise from me to you. Deal?"

"Deal." said Naruto as he and Yagura entered a circular building and made an immediate turn into a dark corridor that lead to an empty room with nothing in it but one other man. The man turned around as he noticed his Kage and Naruto walking into the room.

The man smiled before bowing to Yagura. "Ahh, Yagura-sama. It is a pleasure to see you once again, I'm assuming this is Naruto-kun?" said the man as Yagura nodded his head.

"Yes Mangestsu. This is the boy with whom you and I will train. Of course, since I have other duties that will leave the bulk of the training with you but I will drop by from time to time to give out tips to my young apprentice." said Yagura as he turned to Naruto after addressing Mangetsu. "And Naruto-kun, do you know who Mangetsu is?"

Naruto nodded his head before answering. "He hails from the Hozuki clan. One of my relatives and is also a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. And if the legend is true, is the only member to have ever mastered the use of all seven swords, though Hiramekarai is his favorite and the one he uses." said Naruto, identifying said sword strapped to the back of Mangetsu.

Mangetsu had shoulder-length, light-colored hair and pointed, shark-like teeth. He was wearing an outfit which consisted of a dark, sleeveless shirt, light-coloured pants and striped leg-warmers. Striped to a utility belt around his waist were several water bottles. And strapped to his back by seemingly nothing was the twinsword, Hiramekarai. The entire sword had bandages around it, leaving only the double hilt showing in the back.

"Well I shall leave you both to it. Today is just the introduction Naruto-kun. Mangetsu will be your teacher and eventually you will meet other shinobi in our ranks to learn from them as well. Not to mention a few other kids who have just as much potential as you. Ja ne." said Yagura as he disappeared in a swirl of water, leaving Mangetsu and Naruto alone in the spacious but empty room.

Mangetsu smiled at the boy in front of him once Yagura left. "You're not the only one with knowledge Naruto-kun. You hail from the Hozuki clan, along with the Uzumaki clan. And I know for a fact that your Orphanage mother has attempted to teach you seals along with having already accessed your chakra, which is sizable for someone of your age. Not to mention your sensory ability, I don't know the distance but if I'm to understand, you won't ever be caught off guard by anyone, even your own kage." said Mangetsu as Naruto smiled back at the elder teen in front of him.

"He he he. I really don't like being around him" said Naruto as Mangetsu nodded his head.

"I understand completely Naruto-kun. I don't like this civil war against the bloodline rebels anymore than you do. I also know of a few others who despise it as well. So I'm happy to know you're on board. Your orphanage mother has told me all about it." said Mangetsu.

Naruto nodded his head as he blew out a sigh. "That's a relief. I thought I'd have to always fake interest in wanting to kill people from Kiri. I could never do that. I love this place. It is my home." said Naruto. "And anyone from it is family to me, I don't want to kill my family."

"Neither do I Naruto-kun. But we'll have all the time in the world to discuss that. In the meantime, let's appease the wants of Mizukage-sama. He is on the wrong side but he is still the most powerful man in the country. So let's get your training started shall we?" questioned Mangetsu as Naruto nodded his head.

"What are we going to start with?" questioned Naruto as Mangetsu's smiled a very devious, shark like grin.

"Conditioning. You're going to run. A lot. But the thing is, you must do it silently. If I hear a footstep, you must do one push up per footstep I hear. Now, please run one lap around the entire room, but remember, be quiet." said Mangetsu as Naruto gulped slightly.

Naruto took off in a fast, yet cautious sprint as he ran around the room. Naruto was extra careful about not making any noise and from what he could tell, he hadn't made a peep except for his breathing, but that wasn't a footstep so it wouldn't count. Naruto eventually made it back to Mangetsu. Naruto smiled at Mangetsu with a bit of sweat beginning to form as he blew out a deep breath.

"How did I do Mangetsu-sensei?" questioned Naruto as Mangetsu handed him a bottle of water. Naruto happily accepted the water as he sipped down the water through the straw.

Mangetsu shook his head slightly as he told Naruto the grim news. "How about this, I'll change it from every footstep, to every 10 footsteps. And if we go by that, you'll have to do 22 push-ups total." said Mangetsu as Naruto's jaw dropped. "Get to pushing kid. You have 19 more laps to go, just like this. And this is only the warmup."

_(1 year later)_

"Good Job Naruto. That's only 8 push-ups this time. And for counting every 5 footsteps, that's pretty impressive. Not to mention that you're beginning to move faster as well." said Mangetsu as Naruto did his eight push-ups before drinking out of his water bottle. The same water bottle that was given to him by Mangetsu one year ago.

Naruto grew well in his one year of beginning the process of becoming a shinobi. He'd been given his own room in the large building and trained steadily over the past year, nothing too strenuous though to not stunt his growth. Despite the non-strenuous training schedule, Naruto blossomed well and already proved he was more advanced than any shinobi of his age.

Naruto already got down the three basic jutsu of a shinobi. Those being the Henge, which allowed the user to disguise oneself as anything they can imagine. The second jutsu was the essentially useless, Bunshin no Jutsu, which created copies of the users, though those copies are intangible and easily distinguished being that they don't interact with the environment. And the last technique Naruto learned was the infamous Kawarami no Jutsu, which allowed the user to replace their own body with that of an object the moment an attack lands to effectively dodge said attack.

Not only had Naruto learned ninjutsu, but Naruto began to learn katas for Taijutsu. Taijutsu wasn't Naruto's strongest field but he did not lack in the department. Combined with his ever-increasing speed and physical strength, Naruto was no slouch in it despite it not being his favorite of the three shinobi arts.

Genjutsu was where Naruto truly shined. Naruto's aptitude for Genjutsu was impressive even though Genjutsu was one of the more difficult arts to learn. Genjutsu was by far Naruto's favorite art, even though he hadn't learned any techniques for it. Naruto believed that even the strongest shinobis could fall victim to Genjutsu and as such, he was going to become a master at it.

Naruto didn't forget about his sealing work though. Thanks to the many books his mother passed on with him to the Orphanage, he'd been delving into them after training due to his confinement his room, having not seen the outside world for over a year. So reading was basically the only thing he could do and in doing such, he read about seals. Naruto had begun to perfect his calligraphy due to that being the first step in his mother's book that he'd have to do.

Mangetsu was proud of his young student as he watched him finish his last push-up and down another bottle of water. Mangetsu then sent Naruto around on his last lap as he thought about him.

_"Naruto's progressed so well, and so fast. To think someone, only a year into training is already miles above everyone else in this facility who's been here two years longer than him. I'm just scared to know how Naruto will take his first time hunting rebels. Mizukage-sama said he wanted to personally take Naruto out to find some in a year's time. Naruto seems too gentle to want to kill anyone, let alone someone of his village. We'll see how it goes. Maybe this year, I'll find out what his elements are. Actually, today." _thought Mangetsu as Naruto came speeding to a stop in front of him.

"Looks like I'll have to bump up the ante. I only heard 34 footsteps this time. So how about a push-up for every other step, meaning you'll have to do 17." said Mangetsu as Naruto nodded his head without hesitation before dropping down to do his 17 push-ups.

Naruto and Mangetsu had grown close over the past year, to the point that Mangetsu felt that Naruto was his younger brother, especially considering that he was 11 years older than the young Hozuki clan member. Mangetsu actually had his own younger brother named Suigetsu, who was born just last year making them nearly 17 years apart. But that was besides the point, Mangetsu had already connected with Naruto and readily identified him as his _otouto (little brother) _since Naruto had taken to calling him his _nii-san (brother). _

Naruto finished his push-ups as he took a deep sip from his water bottle. Mangetsu told Naruto that being a Hozuki clan member meant always being hydrated and Naruto made sure that he always replenished the water he lost as soon as possible.

"So nii-san. What are we going to do today? More chakra control? Shuriken and kunai training?" questioned Naruto as Mangetsu shook his head slightly.

"No no Naruto-kun. Today, we'll work on something special. What can you tell me about nature transformation?" questioned Mangetsu.

Naruto paused for a second before he figured it out. "It's a higher form of chakra control. It's the molding of one's chakra into a form of nature, or element. And there are five basic elements. Those being Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Lightning. Each chakra nature has its strengths and weaknesses and are the building blocks of all elemental ninjutsu...Are we learning my elements today?!" started Naruto before questioning Mangetsu excitedly at the last part.

Mangetsu pulled out a bowl of water as he nodded at Naruto. "Correct you are my main man. This here is a bowl of water, but not any type of water, this is water made of chakra reactive substances." said Mangetsu as he placed the bowl on the ground before putting one of Naruto's hands wrist deep into the water. "Now the water will react in five ways. It will either turn muddy, signalling a _doton (earth release) _affinity, swirl around, signalling a _suiton (water release) _affinity, steam, signalling a _katon (fire release) _affinity, become colder, signalling a _futon (wind release) _affinity, or spark, signalling a _raiton (lightning release) _affinity."

Naruto nodded his head. "So basically I just channel chakra into the bowl and my element is based on how the water reacts to it." said Naruto as Mangetsu nodded his head. "Here goes."

Naruto pushed some chakra through his submerged hand as the water began to swirl around the bowl at a rapid pace. Mangetsu smiled seeing Naruto with an affinity for water even though he knew Naruto would have to have it based on his Hozuki clan background. Mangetsu wasn't ready for the large bolt of lightning to come flying out of the bowl and strike the ceiling, leaving a huge mark in it.

"Woah!" said Naruto and Mangetsu simultaneously.

Naruto was the first to get over his shock though. "Does that mean I have water and lightning?" questioned Naruto as Mangetsu nodded his head. "YATTA!" shouted Naruto as he began to run around, making 'swooshing' water noises along with sounds that sounded like sparks from lightning. As this was happening, Mangetsu was having an internal debate about what just happened.

_"That lightning just now was...was white. I've never seen white lightning before. What could that mean? If it had anything to do with that enormous bolt of lightning that stemmed about just now, it seems stronger than regular lightning. You never cease to amaze Naruto-kun." _thought Mangetsu as he scooped up the bowl of water.

Mangetsu then walked back over to see Naruto still prancing about, mimicking the sounds of his two chakra natures as if he was fighting enemies. Eventually Mangetsu got Naruto to calm down before he decided to show Naruto his training regiment for the next year.

"Well that's certainly a surprise. But none the less impressive. I don't have a lightning affinity per say but I'm sure I'll be able to find you help in that department. I do have a water affinity and as such will begin to teach you how to hone it." said Mangetsu as his body began to turn into water. "Hozuki clan style."

Naruto smiled a huge grin as he couldn't wait to learn about his elemental affinities.

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_(1 year later)_

Naruto woke up this morning feeling conflicted. On one side, he was happy that he was finally going to leave the building and see his village once more. On the other side, he was leaving to potentially hunt down another human being and attempt to kill them. But nonetheless, he still treated it like any other day. Naruto got out of bed, showered, and brushed his teeth. Laying on Naruto's bed were the clothes he was given to wear for today. After getting dressed, Naruto looked into the mirror to see his attire.

Naruto was wearing a simple black, short-sleeved shirt with cow patterned camo pants that ran into white shinobi sandals. Naruto also had on cow patterned camo arm warmers that reached from his wrist to the middle of his forearm. The Uzumaki clan crest was on the back of his shirt in a red spiral. Naruto's white hair still held its slight red tint but he now had two bangs framing his face slightly while his violet eyes shone as bright as ever, maybe brighter. The reason his eyes were shining so bright was due to the forehead protector held within his hands.

_"A genin. I can't believe that I'm officially a shinobi of Kirigakure now. I'm one step closer to ending Yagura's reign and this war." _thought Naruto as he tied the forehead protector around his forehead. Naruto smiled before a knock was heard at his door. Naruto turned around to open the door as he saw Yagura standing there looking at him.

"Naruto-kun, my boy. It is good to see you. My how you've grown these past 2 years." said Yagura admiring Naruto's growth and new appearance. "What are you now, 4 ft 4 inches tall. Almost as big as me."

Naruto nodded at Yagura as he stepped out into the hallway before shutting his door behind him. Yagura noticed Naruto wasn't in the talking mood and could understand why, today could have his first kill. He was probably feeling severe anxiety about the situation. However Naruto could careless about killing someone, as long as it was the right someone. The bloodline users of Mizu weren't the right people in Naruto's eyes.

"Well let's get to it shall we. There's been a spotting of several bloodline shinobi 10 miles from here. We'll head there to find the targets and end them. It'll be only me and you since Mangetsu is busy with certain teammates of his." said Yagura as Naruto looked up at him.

"Because Zabuza tried to kill you?" questioned Naruto as Yagura laughed slightly.

"I can't believe I forgot how smart you are." said Yagura as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go take out these bloodline scum."

Naruto and Yagura began to walk to the door that Naruto hadn't been through since when he first got there. As Naruto opened the door, he saw a sight that brought joy to his heart.

_"Outside. Kirigakure. It's just as beautiful as when I left it." _thought Naruto as he admired his village.

Kirigakure is a shinobi village in the Land of Water. The architecture of Kirigakure is several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the taller buildings have trees on them. And befitting its name, a thick mist surrounds the village, with several mountains in the background, making it difficult to find by foreigners.

"Well Naruto-kun. Let's get to it." said Yagura as he leaped on top of a building. Right behind him, Naruto landed on the building as he smiled at the viewpoint of the village from this new angle. He could see so much more of his village from this height. "Let's hop to it Naruto-kun."

It was a rather quiet trip to the place where Yagura's shinobi notified him of the potential bloodline shinobis. Once there, Yagura landed on a tree overlooking the small collection of houses in the area.

"Naruto-kun. How many people do you feel in the area?" questioned Yagura as Naruto placed his hands in the ram seal. Naruto closed his eyes as he focused on his sensory ability.

_**"Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura)" **_thought Naruto as he pinpointed every chakra source in the area. Naruto began to distingiush the chakra sources individually as he separated the animals from the human beings. It took Naruto about 3 minutes to finish sensing as he opened his eyes.

"There are 13 people in the area. 4 of them have high chakra reserves while 6 of them are relatively small, possibly just civilian." said Naruto as Yagura nodded his head.

"Good. Point me toward the 4 with the high chakra reserves. We won't worry about the 6 small ones." said Yagura as Naruto located the 4 big chakra sources and pointed them out. Yagura nodded his head before he handed Naruto some instructions.

"I will handle the four big chakra sources. You check the other 3 that you didn't label as either high or small. We will meet back here once finished. If you run into trouble, alert me and I'll be back to help you." said Yagura as Naruto nodded his head. Seeing Naruto nod, Yagura took off in a sprint toward the first target. Once there, Yagura sprung up behind him.

Without even asking if the guy was a bloodline shinobi or not, Yagura viciously elbowed the man in the back.

**"Sangosho (Coral Palm)" **said Yagura as the man got sent careening out into the woods. Once in the woods, coral began to spring up on his back and began to cover his entire body, killing him once it covered his face. The man's screams were heard loudly as he alerted the rest of the people in the immediate area. The three shinobi with huge reserves surrounded Yagura as he smiled at them.

Yagura's body began to get covered in a deep red cloak, signifying his transformation into his Bijuu, the Sanbi. "I will end you all without prejudice. This village has had enough of you freaks." said Yagura as he and the three began to fight.

_(Other side)_

On the opposite end of the village, Naruto was busy tending to the other 3 people he'd found in the village. Naruto reached them and upon doing so, noticed that they were children. Naruto told them about the situation and they immediately fled the scene. Naruto was on his way to the last one when he had to dodge a fist immediately.

Naruto moved his head to the left as a fist came flying by his head. The arm retracted itself as another one came flying toward Naruto's face. The punch nearly connected with Naruto's head but he managed to back flip out-of-the-way just in time.

"Wait wait. I'm just trying to help you." said Naruto, speaking to the girl in front of him.

The girl had long auburn hair tied into a long pony-tail with vibrant, green eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless kimono-style blouse that was blue and held closed with a grey obi over a short-sleeved mesh shirt with a pair of dark grey shorts and grey shinobi sandals. Her fingernails and toenails were blue to match her blouse.

She looked only a year older than Naruto but was just shorter than him at 4 foot 2 inches tall. Her vibrant green eyes bore into Naruto's violet as she looked at him suspiciously.

"You're wearing a Kiri headband. That means you're trying to kill us bloodline users. So how am I supposed to believe you." said the girl as she came at Naruto with several kicks and punches. Naruto was dodging the punches and kicks with difficulty, needing to block most of them due to the speed and ferocity of the girl's assault. Naruto eventually back pedaled out of the girl's reach as she stopped pressing forward at Naruto.

Naruto blew out a breath as he barely got out of there with minimal damage. "I hate this war. I want to stop it as well. I'm just too young to do anything about it yet. I promise. But that's why I let the first two get away. I was trying to do the same with you but you won't stop attacking me." said Naruto as the girl looked at him with curiosity as he seemed truthful.

However the girl didn't believe Naruto and went through several hand seals.

_"Dog, Boar, Tiger, Ox, Rat, Bird." _thought the girl going through those hand seals in succession. She then placed a hand by her mouth, which bloated a little as she prepped her technique.

_**"Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu (Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique)"** _thought the girl as she released a huge amount of molten hot lava from her mouth. The lava released into a thin sheet above Naruto and it began to fall down to the earth above him.

_"The way the lava came out was to stop any chance of jumping up to avoid it. I could go backwards to get away but then again I'd probably be caught. Guess there's no use." _thought Naruto as he ran through five hand seals, ending in the tiger seal. Naruto's chest puffed up as he prepared his counter.

_**"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Encampment Wall)" **_thought Naruto as he spewed out a tremendous amount of water that stopped the lava dead in its tracks, while also cooling it down rapidly, hardening it into rock.

The girl looked impressed that Naruto stopped her technique but didn't prepare to stop there. However, as she was running through her hand seals for her next technique, she stopped due to Naruto appearing before her.

_"I didn't even hear him approach." _thought the girl as Naruto tackled her and sent her to the ground.

"Get Down!" shouted Naruto as he and the girl fell to the ground due to Naruto's efforts. Once on the ground, a huge beam of energy flew past the spot exactly where she was standing. Once the threat passed, Naruto helped the girl up as he looked out to see Yagura about to finish off the last of the shinobi he was taking care of.

Naruto looked back into the girl's eyes as he spoke with more urgency. "Please. Get out of here. I don't want to see you get hurt." said Naruto as the girl looked at him for a second.

_"It seems he really is serious about this..." _thought the girl before turning around and jumping into the woods. Before fully out of sight, the girl turned around to talk with Naruto once more.

"Mei. Mei Terumi. My name is Mei Terumi." said Mei as Naruto smiled at her.

"Naruto Hozuki. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you in the future. And maybe in a future that is free of Yagura." said Naruto as Mei smiled back him.

_"Naruto. I'll remember you." _thought Mei as she took off and disappeared through the woods.

Naruto stared at the spot he saw Mei last for several minutes before Yagura showed up, unscathed from his battle with the three shinobi.

"Seems we took out a group of lava release users. Did you kill anyone Naruto-kun? You don't look hurt but you seem like you've been in a battle." said Yagura as he looked at Naruto sternly. "Did one of them get by you?"

Naruto shook his head no. "Ran into a tiger. I fought it off and it took off into the woods. It seems those three were all tigers. I'm assuming the group kept them as pets." said Naruto as Yagura seemed skeptical at first but nonetheless nodded his head.

"That's fine Naruto. Let's get back. Even though you didn't get a chance to battle anyone. I'm sure you would have been ready. Come on, we have a long run ahead of us." said Yagura as Naruto nodded his head before following behind his Kage.

_"Mei Terumi." _thought Naruto as an image of the auburn haired girl appeared in his head once more.

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**Bam. First Chapter done of this story.**

**Author Note: Naruto is older than the rookie 12. Same age as Itachi. Mei is a year older than Naruto. **

**There may be more age changes but not many if so.**

**Once again, I'd like to thank Greenblue22 for the influence to make this story.**

**Review peepulation...or at least send me a Pm. I crave feedback.**

**-Hamp Out**


	2. Team

**Hamp here. A lot of love for the first chapter of the story. Glad you guys liked it. Here's Chapter 2 for you beautiful people.**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Honestly, I cry softly at night when I have to write this disclaimer. Don't judge me.

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**Chapter 2: Team**

It'd been an uneventful month since Naruto's time spent with Yagura hunting bloodline shinobi. Naruto was back to his restriction in the building, not able to go outside as his training regiment kicked up ever since. Yagura seemed to want Naruto to become better faster as he wanted him ready for the Chunin exams in two years time.

Naruto finished his warm up as he drank down some water from the water bottle attached to his hip. Naruto then looked to Mangetsu as his teacher looked back at him.

"Well Naruto. How about a little spar. To see where you're at in your training?" questioned Mangetsu as Naruto nodded his head. "Instead of facing me though, I'll have you go against one of the other trainees, give me a second while I go get him."

Naruto watched Mangetsu leave the room as he became anxious at the prospect of facing another shinobi, his age.

_"This will be the second time I've fought someone of my age. I wonder if this person will be as good?" _questioned Naruto internally as he closed his eyes to focus. _**"Kagura Shingan (Mind's eye of the**_** Kagura)"** thought Naruto, shifting his focus to his sensory ability.

Naruto enjoyed using his sensory ability as it gave him a deeper insight into the world around him. Nothing was left out of his reach as he expanded it to sense all the life occurring around him. He could see it all, the kids sleeping in their rooms, the many civilians moving outside the building, and even Mangetsu walking with a boy toward him.

_"That's him." _thought Naruto as he concentrated on the boy's chakra. _"It seems his chakra levels are just as good as mine. And from the way he's walking, he's being trained just like me to not make any sounds with his movements." _

Naruto opened his eyes to pan out at the door just as Mangetsu opened it to allow himself and the boy he was with into the room. Naruto took that moment to glance the boy up and down.

The boy was of seemingly the same age as Naruto, just a bit shorter in height. He wore square rimmed glasses and had short, tufty blue hair. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt that went into black pants along with black shinobi sandals. The boy also had a forehead protector on but instead of around his forehead like Naruto's, it was in the front part of his shirt.

Mangetsu noticed the two young shinobi staring each other down as he smiled. _"It seems they're trying to find anything about each other that could give themselves an advantage." _thought Mangetsu as he decided to introduce the two.

"Naruto. This here is Chojuro." said Mangetsu pointing toward Chojuro as he looked at Naruto. Mangetsu then looked at Chojuro before pointing toward Naruto. "And this is Naruto, Chojuro. You both will be sparring today."

Naruto stopped analyzing Chojuro to smile at him. "Nice to meet you Chojuro. I'm Naruto Hozuki." said Naruto, extending a hand toward the boy in front of him.

Chojuro awkwardly shook Naruto's hand as he returned the greeting. "Nice to meet you Naruto. I'm Chojuro..just Chojuro." said Chojuro in return as Naruto nodded his head.

"Good. Now that that's out-of-the-way, since you both are warm. Why not get this started?" said Mangetsu as the two looked at Mangetsu with a nod. "Great. Now this is just a spar, remember that. So no killing or maiming blows. I'll decide the winner and when I do, stop fighting. And if you're both ready... Hajime!"

Mangetsu backed up slightly as he allowed more space for Chojuro and Naruto to use. Naruto immediately shifted into a defensive stance seeing Chojuro sprint toward him. Chojuro threw out a right jab that Naruto evaded before lashing out with his own punch. Chojuro looked surprised that Naruto dodged his punch before taking Naruto's punch to the stomach. Chojuro took the punch to his stomach with ease as he threw a punch at Naruto, who blocked it.

_"He's strong. Very strong." _thought Naruto, struggling to hold back Chojuro's punch. _"He's almost as strong as sensei and the way he took that punch to the stomach just now means he's durable." _

Naruto then began to back pedal as Chojuro continued to come at him with kicks and punches. Eventually, Naruto needed to block one of Chojuro's kicks and paid the price as he went tumbling to the left due to the force behind the kick. Naruto rolled with the kick and stood back up in a defensive stance, seeing Chojuro come speeding toward him again.

Chojuro sent out a jab to Naruto's face that Naruto parried with ease. Naruto slapped Chojuro's arm away with both hands, causing Chojuro's guard to open due to the force of Naruto's block. Chojuro was then met with a elbow to the stomach that hunched him over slightly before he was roundhouse kicked away by Naruto.

Chojuro skidded across the ground a little before back flipping up with the momentum and stopping. Chojuro looked out at Naruto to see him back in his defensive stance.

_"I thought Mangetsu-sensei said he'd only been here for two years? How is he so good?" _thought Chojuro because he'd been in the facility since the age of 5 and he was 9 years of age at this point. _"Maybe I under estimated him. He's not as strong as me but his movements are more fluid, almost water like."_

Mangetsu smiled. _"It seems he realized that Naruto is quite good. Even though he's been here for half the time of Chojuro, he's miles ahead of him. Taijutsu is Chojuro's best shinobi art mainly due to his strength but Naruto can clearly overcome that if he so chooses. And now that he's figured out how to effectively counter Chojuro's strength, this is clearly his win at this point. Naruto never lets information go to waste." _thought Mangetsu before he saw Chojuro charge back out at Naruto.

Chojuro came back at Naruto as he threw out a right jab, followed by a left cross. Naruto dodged both punches before bringing his arms up to block Chojuro's kick. Naruto wasn't ready for the kunai to come flying out at him, piercing his leg. Chojuro looked surprised that his kunai landed but was in for a shock as instead of blood, only water spilled from Naruto's leg.

"Hozuki clan." said Naruto with a grin as his chest puffed up. Chojuro looked shocked when Naruto spewed out a powerful wave of water.

_**"Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Prison Technique)" **_thought Naruto as the water that splashed out at Chojuro began to surround him and morph into a sphere that trapped him in a dome of heavy water. Naruto smiled at Chojuro, who only looked at Naruto in wonderment.

_"I didn't even see him go through hand seals? So how did he use that technique?" _questioned Chojuro in his head. _"Is his control that good that he can use it without hand seals? No that doesn't make sense, no one's control is that good at this age." _

Naruto's left hand was inside the dome of water with Chojuro as his right hand sparked to life. A thin coat of white lightning surrounded Naruto's hand as Naruto looked ready to place it in the dome with Chojuro.

_"White Lightning?!" _questioned Chojuro in his head as his eyes bulged slightly at the lightning coating Naruto's hand.

"Please don't make me do this. Just give up." said Naruto as his hand inched closer and closer to the dome of water with Chojuro. Chojuro looked hesitant to give in to defeat but as Naruto's hand got ever closer, he immediately forfeited the spar. Seeing Chojuro quit, Naruto released him from the dome of water as his hand stopped sparking from the lightning output.

After receiving a hand up from Naruto, Chojuro decided to voice his question. "Whe..When did you go through the hand seals for that jutsu? And why is your lightning white?" questioned Chojuro as Naruto smiled at him.

"Remember when I blocked your kick with both of my hands?" questioned Naruto as Chojuro looked confused. "I was running through the seals as I brought my hands up to block your kick. Plus my lightning has always been white."

"Woah. That's so cool and I didn't even see you run through those hand seals. Is your seal speed really that fast?" said Chojuro as Naruto nodded his head. "How-How are you so good? Mangetsu-sensei told me that you'd only been here for two years." said Chojuro intrigued by Naruto's skills. Mangetsu left Chojuro and Naruto alone in the room as they began to get better acquainted with one another.

_"That's the second member of my genin team. Now I just have to get Naruto acquainted with the third member of his team.__" _thought Mangetsu as he headed down the halls of the building. _"Yagura is foolish to think that he could have just thrust Naruto into a team with two people he didn't know, it just wouldn't work. They would fail miserably, even if Naruto is strong."_

Mangetsu rounded the corner as he came upon a room. He opened the door to the room as he looked on at the site of a ten-year old girl sitting alone in her room. The girl noticed Mangetsu and smiled at him, a smile reciprocated by the Hozuki clan member.

"Ameyuri-chan. Do you know what today is?" questioned Mangetsu as Ameyuri nodded her head before taking off out of her room and down the hallway.

"It's the day I get to meet my teammates. They're in the big room, right?! I'll meet you there." said Ameyuri, speeding down the corridor to the room that held Naruto and Chojuro. Ameyuri opened the door to see Naruto and Chojuro standing in the middle of the room, talking with one another.

Naruto noticed Ameyuri's chakra signature running down the hallway but had no clue she would stop at his door and open it, Naruto's head turned to see Ameyuri staring at him and Chojuro. Chojuro's head turned later and his face turned red a bit, looking at Ameyuri.

"He..He..Hey." stammered out Chojuro to Ameyuri, who continued to look at Naruto.

"Hi, I'm Ameyuri Ringo." said Ameyuri, answering Chojuro with a side glance before shifting her gaze back at Naruto, who had looked her up and down when she glanced at Chojuro.

Ameyuri had long, red hair to go along with black eyes that held a slight glimmer to them. Around her forehead was a Kiri forehead protector to go along with a cloth that held up two pieces of her hair while the rest of it flowed down her back. She was wearing a simple, loose-fitting black shirt that went into dark blue pants and black shinobi sandals. All in all, she was a very pretty girl who seemed slightly older than Naruto and Chojuro but was the same height as Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Hozuki. Nice to meet you." said Naruto, extending a hand while smiling at her. Ameyuri shook Naruto's hand in return as Naruto pointed toward Chojuro. "This is Chojuro..just Chojuro."

Ameyuri looked at Chojuro, who seemed to coward into himself at her gaze. Ameyuri extended a hand that Chojuro shook weakly. At that moment, Mangetsu finally walked through the room smiling at his team.

"Great. I see you all know each other's name. Now to become friends. And the best way to do that is to whip one another's ass, at least in my opinion. So who's facing Ameyuri first?" questioned Mangetsu as before anyone could answer, Ameyuri immediately pointed toward Naruto.

"I want to face him." said Ameyuri. "Let's go Pretty Boy."

Naruto looked amused at the pretty boy comment but nonetheless nodded his head at the challenge. Chojuro walked over to the side with Mangetsu as to give Ameyuri and Naruto room to do battle.

"Well alright then, let's get to it you two. Are you both ready?" questioned Mangetsu, seeing Ameyuri and Naruto shift into fighting stances. "Remember, no killing or maiming blows, the fight is over when I say it is over. Hajime!"

Instead of coming out at Naruto with a Taijutsu fight like how Chojuro did, Ameyuri immediately began to go through hand seals. Finishing her 5 hand seals with the rat hand seal, a spark of lightning coated her hands.

**"Raiton: Kangekiha (Lightning Style: Wave of Inspiration)" **said Ameyuri as the lightning surrounding her hands began to spread out over the floor toward Naruto, surprised by several things.

_"Hmm. Lightning affinity just like me." _thought Naruto as he jumped back to dodge the lightning. _"But normally fights start with taijutsu then go into either genjutsu or ninjutsu. Does that mean she's not really a taijutsu fighter? I'll have to close the distance between us to find out." _

"You can't keep running from it Pretty Boy." said Ameyuri as she placed more chakra into the jutsu, causing it to spread out farther toward Naruto and at a quicker pace. Naruto placed his hands in the tiger seal, after going through five hand seals, causing his chest to puff up from his technique.

_**"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Encampment Wall)" **_thought Naruto as he spewed out a torrential wave of water at the approaching lightning, the lightning seemed to combine with the water as Naruto let it wash away around him. Naruto then had to dodge a fist as Ameyuri was on him immediately with punches and kicks.

_"Guess not, she's faster than Chojuro, a lot faster." _thought Naruto, blocking one of the kicks aimed for his head with his forearm. _"But she's a lot weaker than him." _

Naruto continued to dodge Ameyuri's assault before swatting away one of her punches, leaving him enough of an opening to attack back. Naruto attacked with an elbow that was deftly dodged by Ameyuri before she ducked his follow-up kick. Ameyuri then threw a punch to Naruto's stomach that connected.

"Gotcha!" said Ameyuri before she noticed her hand become coated with water. "Naruto Hozuki. Hozuki. How could I forget that."

Naruto smiled back at her before placing a knee in the stomach. Ameyuri coughed up a bit of spit as she hunched over from the knee before being kicked away by Naruto. Ameyuri skidded across the floor as Naruto took this as the opportunity to try out his favorite shinobi art.

**"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)" **said Naruto, making sure Ameyuri heard it as she was getting up. After saying his technique, mist began to cloud the area as it blanketed the view of Ameyuri from Naruto. Ameyuri smiled at the jutsu's execution.

"Wow pretty boy. You're better than me at making mist, but.." said Ameyuri, turning and sprinting to the right before thrusting her arm out. Her arm was coated with lightning as she struck Naruto. "I'm better at silent killing. And this lightning coating my arm should stop your little liquefy ability."

Naruto's face turned to one of shock at being hit. "It worked." said Naruto as he smiled before seemingly moving through Ameyuri, who had in actuality struck the wall.

Ameyuri turned and flung several kunai at Naruto, which phased right through him as if he wasn't tangible. "What's going on? Is this a genjutsu?" questioned Ameyuri, attempting to break the genjutsu to no avail.

**"Shinkiro no Jutsu (Mirage Genjutsu)" **said Naruto as he sat down cross-legged in front of Ameyuri. "It's a Genjutsu that one of my ancestors created, the **Nidaime (Second) **Mizukage, with his summon, the **Ohamaguri (Giant Clam). **As per the name, it induces the target to envision realistic images, a mirage of sorts."

Ameyuri stopped trying to break the Genjutsu as she sat down in front of Naruto, cross-legged as well. "I see..but you never summoned a clam or anything, all you did was...that mist earlier wasn't the normal mist that could be produced by others was it?" questioned Ameyuri as Naruto nodded.

"Correct! When Mangetsu-sensei showed me the technique, I accomplished it but then he noticed something weird about my mist that was different from say, yours. It allowed me to mask my presence and create illusions. That's when we figured out that I could use the same jutsu as the Nidaime and his clam, just by myself. It's amazing." said Naruto as Ameyuri smiled in interest.

"That's impressive. But it must cost a lot of chakra to do something like this?" questioned Ameyuri. "Especially considering if you'd trap multiple people in this illusion mist. Your chakra reserves are large I bet."

"They are. But even despite that, it's still very chakra taxing. And I can probably only hold a person for maybe a minute, depending on their skill level and ability to see through Genjutsu. And it exponentially shortens with more people involved." said Naruto as his body began to fade slightly, along with the mist surrounding the area.

"Hmm. But even still. You're young, I'm sure that'll get better and the fact that you could keep someone here for a minute is more than enough time to set up your next attack, or possibly finish them." said Ameyuri as she felt a hand on the back of her neck. The Naruto in front of her disappeared with the mist as she heard a voice behind her.

"You're right. This spar is over." said Naruto as Ameyuri smiled, along with Mangetsu.

"Great job Naruto. Same to you Ameyuri, you guys really did good." said Mangetsu as Ameyuri scoffed.

"This kid had me talking to nothing, how did I do good. Cause if I did, then Naruto is a Chunin or a Jonin. I've never lost so bad to someone before...or in that way." said Ameyuri as she looked over at Naruto. "You aren't two years into training, no one's that good."

"She's rig..right. He kicked my ass too and I've been here for four years." said Chojuro as Naruto began to look sheepish at the two other genin staring at him with scrutinizing looks, well Ameyuri more than Chojuro's slightly skittish one. Naruto continued to get bombarded with questions from Ameyuri and a few from Chojuro as Mangetsu smiled at the three's interactions.

_"This will be an interesting two years before the Chunin exams." _thought Mangetsu as he let the three banter with one another, they deserved the interaction after all the time they spent in solitude over the past few years.

* * *

_(2 years later)_

"Pretty Boy. How many are in the area?" came the calm voice of the redhead, Ameyuri, situated beside Naruto. Naruto picked up a hand and placed it in a half ram seal before closing his eyes.

_**"Kagura Shingan (Mind's Eye of the Kagura)" **_thought Naruto, focusing on his sensory ability. About 30 seconds later, Naruto opened his eyes before talking to the three others beside him.

"There's 9 people in the area Ame-chan, 3 chakra signatures are relatively okay while the other 6 are small, likely civilian." said Naruto. "Since there are three of us, we'll each split up and take one. I'll handle the farthest one. Ameyuri, you can take the one 400 yards to the left, just past that riverbed while Chojuro can take the one 800 yards straight ahead of us. And Mangetsu-sensei can check on the 6 civilians. Let's get to it."

"Uhmm..shouldn't Mangetsu-sensei be giving instructions?" questioned Chojuro timidly as Ameyuri looked at him questionably.

"Were you not listening during the debrief, Naruto-kun is the leader of this mission. Plus it's not like we're killing them anyway, this mission is fine for Naruto to handle, right sensei?" said Ameyuri to Chojuro before turning to Mangetsu with her question.

Mangetsu nodded his head. "Of course it is and remember, Chojuro needed to use the bathroom when I said Naruto was the captain of the mission. But I like his plan, since I'm the fastest I can easily get to all the civilians and tell them what's happening. Plus, it'll give you all a chance to meet some of the rebels that we will be working with in the future." said Mangetsu as his three genin nodded their heads. "Well let's get to it. Disperse."

At that last word, the team all disappeared to their own individual tasks. Ameyuri met her target and had an easy enough time getting to know him and explaining what was going to happen after they left, Chojuro the same with his own target. Naruto met up with his target and smiled upon seeing who it was.

"Mei Terumi." said Naruto standing behind a girl whose back was toward him. Upon hearing her name, Mei turned around and smiled when she realized who it was.

"Naruto Hozuki. A pleasure meeting you again." said Mei, looking Naruto up and down. "Seems you've grown a little."

Mei was right, Naruto had grown over the past two years. Naruto now stood at a height of 4 feet 10 inches tall at just ten years of age. Naruto still wore his black short-sleeved shirt along with his cow camo patterned pants, white shinobi sandals, and his forearm warmers that matched his pants. The Uzumaki clan crest was still in red across the back of his shirt. There were two new additions to Naruto's attire though, the white utility belt strapped to his waist which had a ninja pouch on the back of it and two water bottles strapped to his side. The last addition was the sword strapped to his back by a white chest strap.

Naruto smiled at Mei. "I could say the same about you, I barely recognized you." said Naruto, speaking of his recognizing her chakra source from the beginning, along with the two others and the six civilian ones who were with her from his first time hunting rebels with Yagura.

Mei had grown right along side Naruto over their two years apart from seeing one another. Mei now stood at 4 feet 8 inches tall and was now wearing a short-sleeved kimono style blouse, still the same shade of blue as her nails. The blouse was still held closed by a grey obi that ran into a matching grey skirt. Finishing her outfit were grey heeled shinobi sandals.

Mei smiled back at Naruto before realizing what he said. "Recognized me? I still look the same, just older." said Mei as Naruto shook his head slightly.

"It just seems like something has changed with you. You seem more confident in yourself, why is that? Have you gotten stronger?" questioned Naruto, intrigued with the change in Mei's chakra.

Mei continued to smile at Naruto before sprinting toward him and throwing a punch, a punch that Naruto caught in his palm. "It'll be better if I just showed you, plus I want to see what you've learned." said Mei as Naruto smiled at Mei before backpedaling to dodge her next punch. Mei continued toward Naruto as the two began a sequence of Taijutsu fighting.

"Seems you can actually fight back this time." said Mei, ducking Naruto's punch before raising up with an uppercut which Naruto moved his head back to avoid. Naruto then jumped backwards out of reach as he stood up, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmph. Last time you just got the jump on me. Plus I didn't want to harm that beautiful face." said Naruto nonchalantly, causing Mei's cheeks to redden a little at the beautiful comment.

"You think I'm beautiful?" questioned Mei as Naruto's own cheeks redden slightly at not even realizing he said that.

"Well I..uh..yes." said Naruto before he quickly pulled his sword out to block Mei's kunai strike. Mei noticed something different about Naruto's sword though, it had a bright, red handle but the blade was pure white, the purest white Mei had ever seen. The sword also didn't have a guard to it.

"A chokuto. It's so pretty." said Mei before she pulled out another kunai and began to trade sparks of metal with Naruto. Naruto mainly stayed on the defense with his sword as Mei continued her two kunai assault. Eventually, Mei and Naruto locked metal to metal as Mei looked unimpressed by Naruto's kenjutsu skills. "Your sword looks so nice but you don't use it well."

"Well excuse me. I've only had it for a year now." said Naruto before a devious grin crossed his face. "Plus I've taken it easy on you. I can do more with it, like this."

Mei looked shocked when Naruto's sword began to spark brightly as a coat of lightning covered it. The lightning immediately cut through Mei's kunai as he held the sword directly in front of her face.

"That's white lightning..." said Mei, surprised by the color of his lightning affinity. "You don't have a kekkai genkai do you?"

"No. It's just how my lightning has always been. Plus if I had a kekkai genkai, I'd be on your side of the fence instead of Yagura's right?" questioned Naruto as he put his sword back in its sheath. Mei nodded her head before placing her hands in the snake seal.

**"Doton: Doro Domu (Earth Style: Earth Dome Prison)" **said Mei as earth began to surround Naruto and Mei in a dome, completely sealed from the outside world.

"Uh. Nice jutsu?" questioned Naruto looking around at the dome he was now trapped in. "But I'm sure I already won this spar? I mean I had a sword placed an inch from your nose."

"I don't remember giving up. Plus, you wanted to see the change and here it is." said Mei as she put her hands in the horse hand seal.

_**"Futton: Komu no Jutsu (Boil Style: Skilled Mist)" **_As Mei thought that, she blew out a stream of mist from her mouth. Naruto looked unimpressed by the mist being released before he felt his skin start to sizzle. Naruto looked down at his arm and noticed the exposed skin began to turn red slightly.

"You have two kekkai genkais? Lava and Boil style?" questioned Naruto, continuing to feel the effects of the mist.

"Yes. I have three chakra natures. Earth, Fire, and Water. Though I knew about the lava release beforehand, I didn't get the boil release until after our first meeting, that could explain the difference." said Mei as Naruto nodded his head.

_"Hmm. That's probably why her chakra changed, she developed another kekkai genkai. How is that possible?" _thought Naruto, still standing in the boiling mist exuded by Mei.

"How are you not in pain? That's got to burn?" questioned Mei as Naruto looked back toward her.

"Oh it does. I can feel my body slowly evaporating." said Naruto as Mei looked at him questionably. "Hozuki clan member. My body is essentially made of water."

"Hmm. I'll have to remember that. This technique takes a little longer to effect someone like you. Anyone else would have felt extreme pain and likely been unable to move." said Mei as Naruto nodded his head before moving his hands up slowly. Mei noticed something about Naruto's slow movement and looked shocked when she realized what he was actually doing.

_**"Raiton: Raikoryu (Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon)" **_thought Naruto as his entire body began to spark with white lightning. The lightning coating Naruto's body grew a head that shaped into a dragon's with fierce, glowing red eyes. The dragon then took off towards Mei, who dodged the fast paced dragon. The dragon wasn't aiming for Mei necessarily though as it smashed a huge hole through her earth dome.

Mei looked out through the hole in the wall as she began to tune down the pH in her boiling mist, lessening the effects of it. Mei then thought about what she just saw.

_"Kami, he's good. He covered his body in lightning and broke out of this dome with minimal problem. That white lightning seems powerful, stronger than normal lightning." _thought Mei. _"But that's not the truly scary part. He just ran through a bunch of hand seals and I could barely keep up, it looked as if he was only bringing his hands up." _

Mei caused her dome to crumble as she noticed Naruto standing outside of it, looking at her with a smile.

"How many hand seals did you just run through? It didn't even look like you did any you were moving so fast." said Mei as Naruto smiled.

"That's a secret. However.." said Naruto, noticing his teammates heading to him likely due to his large output of chakra just now. "My team is all finished up, meaning we'll be heading back now. It was good seeing you again."

Mei nodded her head. "I will find out your secrets Naruto-kun. I hope to see you again, hopefully sooner than later." said Mei, turning around to take off into the forest.

_"I'm sure you will Mei." _thought Naruto as Ameyuri landed beside him.

"My guy was boring. But clearly, the one you were with gave you a little trouble seeing that you had to resort to using jutsu, you okay?" questioned Ameyuri.

Naruto looked back at Ameyuri as he nodded his head. "Yes. There was really no trouble, mine just wanted to see what I could do." said Naruto as Chojuro and Mangetsu landed beside the two of them.

"Well it seems that we're all clear. I'm sure those kids will come back to this area once we leave. But we can tell Yagura that the people in this area are all just civilians and he'll leave this place alone, granting them more security. Great job team." said Mangetsu as the three genin nodded. "Let's head back. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?" questioned Ameyuri as Naruto smiled widely.

"Chunin Exams"

* * *

**Second Chapter Done.**

**Leave a review and until next time chaps.**

**-Hamp Out**


	3. Chunin Exam

**Fanfic Fam. Chapter three. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I finished crying softly at night about it since my last chapter. I am now weeping uncontrollably and hysterically. This time you may judge me. It's pretty bad.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Chunin Exam **

Naruto jumped building to building as he made his way to the center of his village. Naruto received a summons to head to the Mizukage's office. Normally Yagura would come to Naruto but seeing how Naruto was but a day away from beginning his journey to Chunin, Yagura gave the young Hozuki some freedom. Naruto landed in front of the main entrance before walking inside. Yagura's secretary immediately recognized him.

"Hello handsome." said the woman as she smiled warmly at Naruto. Naruto smiled back at her.

"Nice to meet you." said Naruto, bowing to the woman. "I'm Naruto Hozuki, I have a meeting with Yondaime-sama."

"Of course, of course. Thank you for being on time." said the woman as she walked back to Yagura's door. Coming back into the room, she spoke to Naruto. "Yagura-sama will see you now."

Naruto nodded his head with a smile as he walked in Yagura's office. Yagura stood with his back to Naruto as he looked out the window of the office. Hearing Naruto walk in, Yagura turned around as he smiled at his apprentice.

"Naruto-kun. I'm glad you could make it." said Yagura as he noticed something. "You've gotten big. Same height as me now I see."

Naruto grew a small smile. "I guess so." said Naruto before his smile stopped. "If you don't mind Mizukage-sama, could we get to the subject at hand, I have a big day tomorrow."

"Oh right. Sure thing." said Yagura as he sat in the chair in his office. "The Chunin Exams are tomorrow. I expect big things from you. You do realize how big the exams are don't you?"

"I may not know all of it but Chunin Exams are the showcase of a village's 'next' ninjas. Basically, the potential of its future. Meaning that if a village does good in the exams, it could lead to more missions in the future, thus more funding." said Naruto curtly.

Yagura smiled. "Correct as always." said Yagura. "Great. You and your team are the only ones from Mizu competing this time. You'll be in a group of about 60-70 other teams, be sure to come out on top. And I still remember my promise. One of the Seven Swords will be yours upon your promotion to Chunin."

Naruto nodded his head. "I understand. If that is all?" questioned Naruto as Yagura nodded his head. Naruto began to walk out the door as Yagura added one more thing before he completely left.

"You are my apprentice. Do not make me look bad." said Yagura as Naruto closed the door behind him. _"Of course he won't fail me. He's already stronger than most. He'll be the deciding factor in the war upon his return. The Rebels will stand no chance once he is fully unleashed. No one will."_

_(With Naruto)_

Upon leaving the Mizukage's building, Naruto headed back to the compound where he'd been living at since four years ago. That Naruto was just a water clone though. The real Naruto was actually almost three miles away in a clearing that contained a lake and waterfall.

Naruto stood atop the lake the waterfall poured into as he waited patiently with his eyes closed. Eventually, a smile grew on Naruto's face as a chakra signature entered his sensory cloud. About a minute later, Naruto opened his eyes to see an auburn haired girl standing in front of him on the lake.

"Mei-chan." said Naruto with a smile at the girl in front of him.

"Fancy seeing you here Naruto-kun. Its eerie, some guy gave me a note and told me I'd meet my future Mizukage here. I couldn't get a good look at him because he ran away as he dropped the note in my hand. He kind of looked like you from behind honestly." said Mei as she and Naruto sat atop the lake. "So you wouldn't happen to have seen that person would you? Or the future Mizukage by chance?"

"That is weird isn't it. I just came here to clear my head and then you arrived." said Naruto continuing to smile. "The note said future Mizukage huh? That's interesting."

Mei laughed a little before saying, "Chunin Exams are tomorrow. So I've heard."

"Something like that." said Naruto before adding. "You know, I'm favored heavily to win this thing. You'd be wise to place your bets now."

"And who says you're the favorite?" asked Mei.

Naruto pointed a finger toward himself. "This guy. Trust and believe that I'll win it all." said Naruto a little smugly.

"Is that so? Just know that I'd kick your ass if I was in those exams." said Mei in return. "But since I'm not, I guess you might win. Maybe."

"I'm sensing doubt. Are you saying there is a chance I won't win?" questioned Naruto as Mei nodded her head. "Then you must not know who I am."

"Hmm. I'd love to know more." said Mei with a smile as Naruto smiled back. The two sat and talked for the rest of the day peacefully in the peacefulness of the waterfall.

* * *

_(The Next Day)_

Naruto grew excited. That's an understatement. Naruto was ready to burst due to how excited he was at the moment. Naruto had on his shinobi gear and surrounding him on both sides were his equally as excited teammate, Ameyuri, and the still timid Chojuro. Walking behind the three Genin was their sensei, Mangetsu.

"Hey Pretty Boy. This what you always imagined it would be like?" asked Ameyuri as Naruto's smile could be seen showing bright as he waved to the few civilians sending them off.

"Chunin Exams." said Naruto as Ameyuri smiled seeing Naruto's happiness. "Finally. This is great."

"Naruto. We're going to another village, how can you be so excited?" asked Chojuro. "We are the only Mizu Team, what if we get attacked over there?"

"Don't worry Chojuro." said Mangetsu behind them as he explained why. "During Chunin Exams, all villages take a momentary ceasefire. Meaning that there is no shinobi fighting unless it is during the exam between its contestants. It has been a rule since the exams began and villages adhere to that rule. If not, the Daiymo of the country punishes any village who does not abide by that rule. Trust me, we will be fine."

"Yeah. Sensei is right." said Ameyuri. "Plus pretty boy is amazing, he'll be able to handle anything. Especially with us by his side with my amazing ninja skills and your... your toughness..."

Chojuro began to lose some anxiety as he got more comfortable with the situation. "Where are we headed by the way?" asked Chojuro.

"Iwagakure. Our rival village." said Mangetsu as Chojuro's anxiety came back full force.

* * *

_(Several Days Later - Iwagakure Gate)_

"Well well." came the voice of a man situated at a gate that led into Iwagakure. "If it isn't Mangetsu Hozuki. Didn't know you had...kids."

Mangetsu and his team arrived at the gate as he laughed slightly. "And I didn't know that you were such an important ninja Iwado. I mean gate guard duty, impressive." said Mangetsu as Iwado's arrogance faltered slightly. "Nice to see that scar went down slightly from our last scuffle during the Third World War."

Iwado looked ready to murder Mangetsu. "You were lucky. You got the drop on me and that freakishly large sword is difficult to dodge." said the guard as he then smirked. "That's why you only have thirty minutes to make it to the exam room before you're disqualified. And only I know the directions."

"You do realize it's only me still standing here right." said Mangetsu as the gate guard noticed that it was only him and Mangetsu. The guard turned around to see his Genin gone.

The guard looked back at Mangetsu as he smiled. "Well they won't know to head toward the third mountain and that the circular building next to the Tsuchikage's House is their starting point. And since they are gone, gives me the chance to kick your ass for what happened back then" said Iwado talking about said scar that ran from his eye down his right shoulder. Iwado's vision began to blur slightly as he realized something was wrong. "Wait a second. Kai _(release)" _

Iwado's world shattered as he broke the Genjutsu he was unknowingly placed in beforehand. In reality, Mangetsu still stood in the same place except now his Genin were back were they were at when they first arrived. The one who looked like Mangetsu except with spiky white hair was holding the ram seal.

**"Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique)" **said Naruto as Ameyuri smiled.

"Sucker!" said Ameyuri as the gate guard looked shocked. "Pretty Boy here is a Genjutsu expert. And you fell for it perfectly. Now let us in you ugly jerk."

The Gate Guard just stood there shocked. "I just. but. by a kid?" said Iwado as Mangetsu patted him on the back and him and his team headed into the village. Naruto's eyes seemed to light up as he took a glance at the village that is entirely different from his own.

Naruto was right, Iwagakure was totally different from Kiri. The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country offer a natural stronghold unlike the mist that only keeps Kiri out of sight. Iwa profits from this advantageous position and is proud of its strong defenses. The village sits among a mountain range consisting of small narrow waterfalls, with the buildings being composed of rock and stone; shaped from large, elevated formations of rock into tower-like structures. Many of its buildings sit on cliffs connected by a network of bridges. The Tsuchikage's residence was the tallest man-made structure in the village that had a cone-shaped roof and bared the kanji for "Earth" on it.

"Wow. This is the place." said Naruto as his sensory abilities were going haywire with all different chakra signatures in one place. "There's over 200 people in there, all varying in strength. It's amazing to feel all the different shinobi. I can't wait to see what they can do."

The team of four stepped into the building as all eyes immediately fell on them being the last team to enter. Being that they were the only group from Mizu in the exams, Iwa grouped them together with another village who didn't have many visiting competitors. That village being Konohagakure. After their entrance, the other teams went back to what they were doing before Mizu opened the door. As the team walked to their designated area, Naruto quickly panned his eyes to the strongest chakra signatures he could find that were likely competitors.

Naruto's eyes first panned to the large group from the hosting village, Iwagakure. The first shinobi Naruto scanned was a large kid. Easily six-foot tall and his body had red armor covering it with what appeared was a furnace attached to it on his back. On his head, he was wearing a conical straw hat and a mask covered the lower half of his face. There was something noticeable about him that was very familiar.

_"He's a jinchuriki." _thought Naruto. _"His chakra matches Yagura-sama's, albeit a bit stronger. Iwa does house the **Yonbi (Four-Tails) **and **Gobi (Five-Tails)**. I wonder which one he is." _

Naruto's eyes then shifted to the next ninja. A kunoichi also from Iwa on the same team as the Jinchuriki boy. The girl had short, black hair with pink, pupil-less eyes. She was wearing the standard red clothing of Iwa except her right pants leg was mesh and not the normal pants leg like her left.

_"Her chakra. She has a kekkai genkai like Mei. The same feeling too so it is likely lava." _thought Naruto as the girl jolted slightly and her eyes panned into his stare. Naruto's gaze stayed locked with the girl's until he then turned his head. _"Sensor as well. She picked up on me noticing her. Interesting." _

Continuing to walk with his team, Naruto's eyes pandered to the group close to Iwa, Kumogakure. The next ninja was also a kunoichi but with a stoic demeanor. She was a blonde girl with cerulean blue eyes. She wore the standard grey clothing of a Kumo shinobi with red forearm warmers. She also had a small-sword strapped on her lower back that was parallel to her waist.

_"She also has a kekkai genkai." _thought Naruto. _"Her chakra reserves are almost as big as mine as well. A Ninjutsu expert perhaps."_

The last three shinobi on Naruto's list were actually all in the group from Konoha. And they were all on the same team.

The first ninja had shaggy, black hair and pronounced eyelashes. He was wearing a dark shirt with dark pants that ran into black shinobi sandals. He also had a tanto attached to his back by the shoulder strap.

The next ninja resembled the first, almost as if they were family. He had the same black hair except it was straight and it reached his shoulders. He had on similar clothing to the first ninja as well except with tan pants on instead of dark ones.

The last ninja was staring right at Naruto, almost lustful it seemed.

_"Why is she looking at me like that?" _thought Naruto as he held her gaze. _"She's not a sensor. So why is she staring at me like that?"_

Despite the eerie gaze, Naruto still managed to see that the girl had violet hair and light brown eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless fish net mesh shirt, dark shorts, and fish net armbands. Finishing her outfit were knee-length boots.

Naruto blushed slightly realizing she was a girl wearing only a fish net shirt. _"You can see her brea-" _

Mangetsu cut Naruto from his thoughts as they reached the Konoha group.

"Kurenai Yuhi. A pleasure to see you again." said Mangetsu toward Konoha's sensei. Hearing her name, Kurenai turned to see the elder Hozuki clan member. "And now a Jonin I see. Congrats."

"Mangetsu Hozuki. A pleasure to see you too. You seem confident." said Kurenai as she looked at his three Genin for a second. "Seems your little twin there is the best among yours."

"How correct you are. Though they're all really good. Otherwise we wouldn't be here." said Mangetsu, never breaking his stare with Kurenai. "And it seems the Uchiha boy with straight hair is your best?"

"And how would you know that, you haven't even looked at them. You've just been looking at mini-you over there before staring at me." said Kurenai in response.

"How could I not? You look amazing" said Mangetsu as he then turned slightly to look at Naruto, who was with his team just talking to one another like Kurenai's team. "And Naruto. Naruto is special. I'll just say that." said Mangetsu who'd been looking at Naruto. Mangetsu noticed Naruto stared at Kurenai's second student the longest. Possibly to fully gauge his strength. "By the way, why not introduce ourselves. I am Mangetsu Hozuki, this is Ameyuri Ringo, Chojuro, and Naruto Hozuki."

Each one of Mangetsu's students waved upon their name being mentioned. Kurenai then took that as a chance to introduce her own Genin team.

"I am Kurenai Yuhi. And this is Anko Mitarashi, Shisui Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha." said Kurenai as her own three students waved. The group of eight all began to shake hands as Ameyuri decided to add her own two cents.

"Just so you know, Mizu is here to whoop ass and take names..doesn't matter the order." said Ameyuri, a little loudly which garnered attention from the several groups surrounding them. Ameyuri's confidence didn't waver in the slightest at their stares. "What are you all looking at? You know it's true."

Shisui, the boy with shaggy hair, laughed heartily at Ameyuri as even the Jonin senseis from the other groups smiled at her confidence. Naruto was smiling at his teammate as well before he got that feeling of someone staring at him. Naruto panned his eyes around to find the culprit only to realize it was Anko. As Naruto stared at Anko, his sensory ability snapped into focus as his felt dozens of people build up chakra.

"Good luck Team Mangetsu." said Mangetsu as he and every Jonin sensei in the room disappeared in a shunshin.

"You all are definitely going to need it." came the voice of a boy walking toward the group. Team Mangetsu and Team Kurenai both looked toward the voice to see an ash-grey haired kid walk up to them. "My name is Kabuto and I am also taking these exams."

The boy was of the same height and looked the same age as Naruto. Based on his forehead protector, he hailed from Iwa.

"Why are you over here talking to us?" questioned Shisui, losing his normally calm face at Kabuto's presence. "Isn't Konoha and Mizu both of Iwa's most hated rivals?"

"Yeah. Why are you here?" questioned Ameyuri as well. Kabuto put up placating hands at their questions.

"No trouble. No trouble here." said Kabuto as he reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a stack of blank cards. "I have come with information. Information I have gathered on everyone here. I shared it with most other teams and in fairness, I felt I should share with you all as well."

"Information is one of the most important things in the shinobi world." said Itachi. "You'd be wise to not give it away so easily."

"I know that. But like I said before, I want to help you all." said Kabuto before looking toward Naruto, who he could tell was heavily interested. "Do you have some people in mind?"

Naruto did have a few people in mind. Discreetly pointing toward the several people he noticed from earlier, Naruto added one more name. "And Itachi Uchiha."

Kabuto smiled and was ready to find their cards before Anko chimed in with her own name. "Naruto Hozuki."

"Well. The last two are easy since I have their names." said Kabuto, taking a few seconds before nodding his head. "Found all of them. Let's start with those not in this little group."

Picking up the first card, Kabuto showed off the first boy Naruto picked out with the red armor. "Iwagakure Genin, Han. Says here he is a NinTaijutsu user. Meaning he bolsters his physical attacks with ninjutsu. His Genjutsu is nil and his chakra reserves are enormous. Far out-classing everyone here. Says here he is already a B rank ninja in the bingo book. Impressive."

Grabbing the next card, Kabuto showed the sensor girl on Han's team. "Iwagakure Genin, Kurotsuchi. Says here she is a Ninjutsu expert but does not lack in the other two facets of shinobi. Very skilled and calm in battle. An acute sensor as well to go along with being the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Also impressive. You sure know how to pick them Naruto-kun." finished Kabuto as he moved to the next card, the girl from Kumo.

"Kumogakure Genin, Samui. Also a Ninjutsu expert and very skilled in close combat. And based off her stoic demeanor and the lack of info on her, she is likely a dark horse in this exam. Especially considering her chakra levels are high as well to go along with delicate chakra control. Be wary of her." said Kabuto before moving to his last two cards.

"Wow. Konoha Genin, Itachi Uchiha. He has the best attributes I've seen of all the shinobi on here. Only tying with one other shinobi. Above average in all the facets with Genjutsu being his forte. Not to mention that his accuracy with throwing kunai and shuriken is unparalleled. Not to mention he hails from the famed Uchiha Clan and is a master at their kekkai genkai, the Sharingan. I'd say he would win this exam if it wasn't for Naruto here, who is the shinobi tied with him in attributes. Naruto does have a larger chakra supply and his skill with a sword is amazing. Has an impressive Genjutsu arsenal and being from the Hozuki clan makes him very dangerous around any water supply. It's heads or tails on which one of them is stronger." said Kabuto marveling at the two.

Naruto and Itachi both looked at each other. Silent respect was shared between the two as two voices spoke up.

"That's some BS." said Ameyuri and Anko at the same time. The two kunoichi then looked at each other. "Are you about to say your teammate is better than mine?" questioned the two women at the same time still. While Naruto and Itachi were looking at each other along with Anko and Ameyuri arguing about who had the better teammate, Chojuro and Shisui both noticed Kabuto walk away from them with a sly smile.

Shisui then spoke to Chojuro. "I wonder who he really is? To have information like that, he would make one hell of a spy some day. Don't you think Chojuro?" questioned Shisui as Chojuro awkwardly nodded thinking the same. Everything stopped though as an earthquake shook the entire building.

Causing the earthquake was a large man, easily 7 feet tall landing on a platform above all the Genin. Taking his presence as a reason to be quiet, no sounds came from anyone in the room. The man smiled internally at that.

"Hello to all you tiny people." said the man. "My name is Kitsuchi and I am your proctor for this exam. Please, if you would all stand on one of the circles underneath your feet. Only one to a circle."

All of the Genin looked down as they noticed circles all across the floor. Each nodded their heads and moved to one of the circles quickly. Seeing all of them on one of the circles, Kitsuchi smiled.

"Great. Your first test is survival. I will send you flying down a corridor through the circle you are standing on. You either dodge the traps that come out at you or die. If you die, you're done obviously. If one of your teammates die, then your exam ends as well regardless of whether you die or not." said Kitsuchi as several of the Genin in the room panicked. "If you don't want to be apart of this...you may leave your circle now and the exam will be over and you won't have to risk your lives to become a Chunin."

"Wait Wait Wait Wait Wait!" said a random Genin from Takigakure. "What kind of Chunin exam is this? The last one I took started with a written test. Now we're about to die? What the hell?"

Kitsuchi grinned at the Genin. "I am the proctor of these exams. Not that pussy you had last time. My exam, my rules. Plus you have all signed your death waivers anyway. I could kill you and nobody could do a thing." said Kitsuchi as most of the Genin began to look fearful. "However, you may exit now if you so choose. Your whole team leaves with you but at least you won't lose your lives. You have ten seconds to make your choice."

As Kitsuchi said that, he placed his hands in the snake seal. As he did that, the circles underneath each Genin turned red and began to sink into the ground.

"8 seconds left." said Kitsuchi as the Genin began to sweat at the long, steady count of Kitsuchi. Of the 207 Genin in the room, 52 teams left due to at least one of the members cowering and causing them all to leave. "4 seconds left."

The circles continued to go down as Chojuro looked ready to leave.

"Don't worry Chojuro. Whatever happens, we can do this. Plus, if this was a mission you wouldn't chump out. You'd face it. Treat this the same way. If we want to become Chunin, we have to risk our lives with tougher missions and think of this as the beginning. Let's do this" said Naruto quickly as Kitsuchi got to 2 in his long ten second count.

_"There's always one who has to give a speech. Oh well. At least I got it down to 51 Genin"_ thought Kitsuchi.

Chojuro visibly relaxed as he was ready for whatever lied ahead. However, Kitsuchi appeared in front of Naruto when he got to 1 and looked at him imposingly.

"Before I send you all down there, I heard your words. " said Kitsuchi as Naruto never wavered despite Kitsuchi's scary physical dominance over him. "Seeing as how the rest in here seem to have built up some confidence at your speech then there is no use stalling. You all..pass."

"What?" came the confused voice of one of the Kumo Genin left. She had red hair and fierce golden eyes. "Pass? We didn't even do anything."

Kitsuchi landed back on his platform as he addressed them all. "The Mizu boy is correct. As Chunin you will have to risk your lives on missions for the sake of your village. If you can not handle risks like that now then you don't deserve to become Chunin. Normally you'd be given a written test but...I'm not very patient so I skipped all that. Anyway to all the Genin still in here, you have passed the first task. Congratulations."

The once sinking circles in the ground began to move back up to their normal position. Kitsuchi then addressed all the passing Genin.

"Now that we have finished the first part of the exam. We will be immediately moving to the second section." said Kitsuchi before placing his hands back in the snake seal. "I will instruct you once you arrive there."

The circles that once were going down before returning opened up to drop the Genin down a chute. Naruto went flying down the chute just like the rest of the Genin in the room as they were all moving at rapid paces. On the way down though, Naruto noticed a flag in front of him. Naruto grabbed the flag as he soon found the end of the chute and landed on the ground. As Naruto landed, every other Genin in the room also landed. They were now outside and the only thing around them was dirt and a large mountain.

_"Four of us have flags." _thought Naruto as he eyed three others besides him that were holding one. Naruto also noticed that no one was next to their own teammate. Before anything happened, Kitsuchi's voice came on in a speaker like fashion.

"Great. I'm sure you have all taken notice of the fact that several of you have flags. Your goal is to find your team, find a flag if you don't already have one, and make it up the mountain to the arena." said Kitsuchi as all the Genin began to look around. "You may do anything to carry out this task. The second phase of these Chunin exams begins now. Go."

At the word Go, the world seemed to freeze for a second. Once that second was over, Naruto saw Shisui shunshin toward an Iwa ninja with a flag and drill him with a punch to the sternum. The punch knocked the Genin out cold as Shisui grabbed his flag and performed a shunshin out of the area. All hell broke loose after that as Naruto needed to dodge a rock bullet that shot toward him.

_"Shit. Why couldn't I not be given a flag to start with." _thought Naruto as several shinobi surrounded him. _"This should be interesting." _

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Review! or send a Pm.**

**-Hamp out**


	4. Second Task

**And we are back! Chapter 4 baby. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Kanye West scored 106 points in a Charity basketball game against middle school kids in wheelchairs. Yeah, Kanye continues to do things to deserve my aspiration. Keep it up Kanye, just keep doing you.

(That article is a lie. But I chuckled heartily at it)

* * *

**Chapter 4: Second Task**

Chojuro was frozen in place. He had a clear view of Naruto and the six Iwa shinobi surrounding him. _"Oh no. Naruto vs 6 people. I have to get over there and help him." _thought Chojuro but between him and Naruto were a few shinobi and they were just taking everyone out just because.

"I'll get that scared shitless Mizu kid." came the voice of a large Iwa kid talking about Chojuro. "The more people we take out, the less teams that can make it to the end. And if the 10 teams from Iwa all work together, we can make sure its only Iwa in the last task."

The boy placed his hands in the snake seal and was ready to fire a jutsu at Chojuro. Before he could channel his chakra though, a drop kick from a red-head knocked him out cold. That red-head then looked at Chojuro with a serious face.

"Man up Chojuro. We have to get out of here now." said Ameyuri as she ran to him and grabbed his hand. "Pretty Boy will meet us in a second. We need to get out of here before he starts."

Ameyuri continued to drag Chojuro out of the area as Chojuro wondered what she could be talking about.

"Starts what?" questioned Chojuro as he saw Naruto let the flag he was holding go. The flag tumbled to the ground as Naruto moved his hands into the ram seal.

"You know. What Pretty Boy is best at." said Ameyuri as Chojuro finally understood it. "No need to stay here and get caught in it. Or we'd also be delusional."

**_"Shinkiro no Genjutsu (Mirage Genjutsu)"_ **thought Naruto as mist exuded from him at a rapid pace. The six shinobi surrounding Naruto looked around for a second before looking back at him like he was an idiot.

"You do realize that we can see you still. That technique only works if you can actually blanket yourself." said one of the Iwa shinobi surrounding Naruto. That boy then ran at Naruto as he clocked him right in the jaw with a powerful hook. The boy heard Naruto's jaw crack as he smiled at the downed shinobi.

"That was easier than I expected." said the boy. "Thought that red-head beside you said Mizu was going to whip ass. Guess having a glass jaw won't allow that to happen huh."

As the boy finished talking, he heard the sound of two others drop just as the mist began to clear. Once the mist fully cleared, the boy noticed that he'd actually hit his own teammate. And looking around, the other two bodies on the floor were the other Iwa shinobi with him. The Boy also noticed that Naruto and the flag he had were gone.

"Shit. He's good." said the boy as the other two Iwa shinobi tended to the three downed ones.

_(With Naruto)_

Naruto was sweating profusely. Naruto was about 200 feet from where all the Genin started as he sat beneath a tree next to a small river. _"Having six people in that mirage only lasts 12 seconds. And it took so much out of me." _thought Naruto as he pulled one of the water bottles off the side of his belt. Drinking some water before placing the bottle back, Naruto closed his eyes. _"Have to find Ameyuri and Chojuro."_

Activating his sensory ability, Naruto's eyes snapped opened immediately and he pulled the sword off his back to block another sword. A sword from the Kumo girl with red hair and gold eyes.

"Nice of you to block that. Nice sword as well" said the girl before smiling. "I'm Karui. And that..is Omoi."

Naruto's eyes widened when Omoi cut him in half from behind with a swift sword slash. However, Naruto just dissolved into water.

"Man. Can't believe we fell for a _Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone)_." said Karui as she placed her sword back in her sheath. Omoi nodded his head as he put his own sword away.

"Yeah. Though if he wasn't a water clone, I would have killed someone." said Omoi. "Could you believe it? Then his teammates would have forever wanted to try to kill me back. What if he was important in his village? Then all of Kiri would be after me. It could lead to War. And if that-"

"Shut up!" said Karui as Omoi looked at her before continuing to talk with her yelling at him in effort to quiet him. Watching the entire scene was the blonde haired Samui from a nearby tree branch. However, she noticed something weird about the way the 'Mizu Bunshin' dissolved. Finally coming to a realization, Samui tried to alert her teammates.

"That wasn't a water clone. That's him!" came the slightly panicked voice of Samui as she headed toward her two teammates. Karui and Omoi looked at her like she was crazy until they heard a voice behind them. Two water clones spawned to life as they each put a hand on the backs of Karui and Omoi.

**"Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Prison Technique)" **said Naruto as two balls of heavy water appeared around Karui and Omoi from the two water clones standing behind them. The real Naruto was behind them as he looked at Samui who landed about 10 feet away with her stoic face returning from her earlier exclamation. Naruto sealed the flag he was carrying into a scroll before placing it in his ninja pouch. "How did you know I wasn't a clone?"

Samui stood still realizing that if she moved Naruto could and likely would harm her teammates. "Because if you were a clone everything would have dissolved into water. Everything did. You, your sword, but the flag you were carrying did not." said Samui as Naruto nodded his head.

"I see. Nice of you to notice that detail. However as you can see, I have your teammates trapped. Harm will come to them if you don't surrender." said Naruto as he pulled out two kunai. "If you do surrender, I'll simply tie you all up and be on my way. Your choice."

Samui stood still for a second pondering the choices. _"Who's to say he's not lying and won't kill all three of us if I surrender? Who's to say he is lying and will kill all of us no matter what? This isn't good, Karui is almost out of breath." _thought Samui as Karui let out an exasperated breath. She was close to drowning having yelled at Omoi earlier without the chance to regain it. _"I didn't want to show this now but I have no choice."_

Naruto felt Samui build up chakra and go through four hand seals at a rapid pace ending with the dragon seal. In front of Samui's hands, a halo of bright blue energy appeared.

_**"Ranton: Reiza Sakasu (Storm Style: Laser Circus)" **_thought Samui as several beams of energy flew from her hands at Naruto, all three Narutos while avoiding her teammates.

_"Those things are fast and guided." _thought the real Naruto as he put up a block before getting blasted back by the powerful beams. Naruto's water clones didn't have that luxury with a hand inside their jutsu and as such were sitting ducks for Samui's jutsu. The beams destroyed both water clones which freed her teammates from the immobilizing water prisons. Karui and Omoi both fell to the ground wet and gasping for breath as Samui checked on them. Seeing them both okay, Samui headed toward Naruto.

Naruto rolled up from being blasted backwards as he pulled his sword out again to block Samui's tanto this time. The two ninja then began a Kenjutsu battle that looked more like art in motion. Despite Naruto having the reach advantage with his chokuto and more fluidity in his movements, Samui was clearly more experienced with her tanto and faster than Naruto was with his. Sparks flew between the two Genin and their swords as they continued to go at each other, neither gaining the upper hand over the other. Eventually they locked together as Naruto spoke.

"Seems it is true." said Naruto as he and Samui struggled for dominance. "Kumo is also good at Kenjutsu like us from Kiri." Samui just nodded her head before she saw Naruto move faster than she expected. Naruto let his sword go, causing Samui to come forward with her tanto due to the lack of pressure being supplied from Naruto. Naruto ducked the swipe as Samui landed on his shoulder unceremoniously.

**"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Encampment Wall)"** said Naruto as he spewed out a stream of water that quickly rose to form a powerful wall of water. That wall of water blocked several kunai with explosive tags attached as they detonated on contact with the water wall. The wall of water evaporated from the heat of the explosion to show Naruto and Samui unharmed from the explosion.

"Heh. Nice of you to stop that." said a Genin from Amegakure who looked 18 years old. That boy stood atop a tree overlooking Samui and Naruto as two more Ame Genin were by his side smirking arrogantly. "However you all are just kids. And you're surrounded. So give up your flag that I know you still have and we'll be sure that your deaths are easy."

Samui was still on Naruto's shoulder as she looked at him stare up at the Ame Genin. _"Those Kunai. He noticed they were coming and could have just fled instead of protecting me. Why did he save me?" _thought Samui as she then noticed Karui and Omoi coming toward Naruto. Naruto noticed it as well and moved Samui off his shoulder and to the ground beside him as he picked up his chokuto.

Karui and Omoi were about to attack Naruto before they noticed the Ame Genin above them and stopped. Naruto just let out a sigh at his predicament.

"How is everyone with their team besides me?" questioned Naruto standing up after grabbing his sword. "Not only do I have a Kumo team around me but now I have an Ame team as well. This sucks. Especially considering that I'm the only one with a flag."

"Yes. Yes it does." said one of the other Ame Genin as he put his hands in the hare seal. **"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Wild Water Wave)" **

From the mouth of the Genin, a powerful stream of water expelled from it. The first Ame Genin tried to stop his teammate but it was too late. Naruto just smiled as the water hit him dead on.

"Ha. Got him perfectly." said the Ame Genin as the ground became covered in a small layer of water that led right into the river twenty feet beside them. The water from Naruto's water prisons and Mizu Bunshins dispelling earlier helped with that. Samui just shook her head at the stupid move.

"Idiot." said Karui as Naruto chuckled.

"Thank you for that." said Naruto as he turned into a drop of water that splashed into the water below him. The Ame Genin who shot out the jutsu just looked shocked at how Naruto disappeared. The first Ame Genin decided to explain.

"You didn't hear that Iwa kid at the start? He's a member of the Hozuki clan." said the Genin as his teammate finally understood. "Water is his best friend and now he's gone. Probably to wherever that river ends. Might as well take out this Kumo team before trying to find another flag."

The Ame Genin readied to face the Kumo Genin as Samui still thought about Naruto.

_"I have to know why he protected me." _thought Samui as she and her team clashed with the Ame Genin.

_(With Ameyuri and Chojuro)_

"Chojuro." said Ameyuri as she looked at her teammate. The two were in a clearing as they were both sitting to catch their breaths. "Who the hell leaves a trap like that?"

Both Ameyuri and Chojuro had singe marks on them from getting caught off guard by a random explosive trap. "I don't know. I mean, it wasn't even guarding anything." said Chojuro as he noticed Ameyuri had soot on her face. "Hey. There is a river nearby, you should wash the stuff on your face off."

Ameyuri nodded her head before she began to walk toward the flowing water. "Where the hell is Pretty Boy? I want to get up this damn mountain and out of here. He should have found us by now." said Ameyuri as she got on her knees in front of the water. Scooping some water in her hands, Ameyuri jolted slightly. Ameyuri then smiled. "Pretty boy found us."

Ameyuri dropped the water back down into the river as Naruto began to emerge out of the water with a smile on his face. "Hey guys. You both alright?" questioned Naruto as he stood atop the water.

Chojuro nodded his head as Ameyuri did as well. "Of course we are. We just ran into some traps is all, getting caught by the last one. No other enemy shinobi since when we started." said Ameyuri as Naruto nodded his head before dropping to one knee in front of her. Naruto placed a hand on Ameyuri's cheek as a thin layer of water coated his palm. Naruto wiped the soot from her face as he smiled.

"Beautiful." said Naruto talking about how his teammates had a relatively easy time without him. Though by the way he was looking at Ameyuri, he may have meant her as well. That fact caused her cheeks to heat up slightly "That means I can tell you about how crappy my time was while we make it to the arena away from everybody."

Ameyuri's blush went down slightly from Naruto's earlier movement before she stood up with the Hozuki clan member. "Thank Kami. I don't want to see anything more besides a bed at this point." said Ameyuri as they walked over to Chojuro before heading up the mountain.

_(Several Hours Later)_

"Man. This is such a long trip." said Naruto in between sips of water from his water bottle. Naruto was sitting atop a rock as both his teammates sat with him. Normally, Ameyuri would crack at how weak Naruto's conditioning was before realizing how much chakra Naruto expends. Him being able to liquefy at any physical contact is chakra taxing on his system. Granted he didn't use it at all times but in such a hostile environment, he would rather be safer than sorry. Not to mention that he was also directing them up the mountain while constantly using his sensory ability to keep them clear of other shinobi. It was amazing to see him make it this far.

"Well. I'd rather break for 10 minutes then have to fight someone at this point." said Ameyuri. Chojuro nodded his head.

"Yeah. It's not like I'm against fighting someone though." said Chojuro as he pushed his glasses up. "But the less of it we can do before passing this task must look good on our résumé for becoming Chunin."

"Heard that." said Naruto as he put his water bottle back on his belt. Naruto was in the process of standing up when he felt two enormous chakras enter his sensory cloud and they were moving at an abnormally fast pace. "Guys. Don't be alarmed but I think we have company. They're heading straight for us."

Ameyuri and Chojuro both perked up at that. "Well why don't we move?" questioned Ameyuri as she was ready to leave at anytime but Naruto still hadn't moved at all. "Pretty Boy?"

Naruto turned toward his teammates. "Because it'd be like running from Yagura-sama. Granted we could run but he'd eventually catch us." said Naruto as he turned back toward the chakras. "Their chakras aren't that of Yagura's size but they have that same feel. Same power. They aren't any of the Genin so let's see who it is. Maybe we finished."

Chojuro looked the same direction as Naruto as he readied for anything. "I trust you on this Naruto." said Chojuro as Naruto nodded his head. Naruto closed his eyes to more pinpoint the two ninjas that were heading toward them. Seeing them stop and make a few movements with his sensory ability, Naruto's eyes opened quickly as he turned to his teammates.

"Sorry guys." said Naruto as he went through hand seals at a pace Ameyuri nor Chojuro could keep up with. Naruto's body sparked with white lightning. "Just stay here, I'll be right back."

"Pretty Boy! Wait!" yelled Ameyuri but it was too late. A White Dragon of lightning morphed around Naruto before it roared and disappeared into the trees that went up the mountain. Ameyuri stared at the spot he left as Chojuro sat back down.

Seeing Ameyuri's concern, Chojuro decided to quell his teammate's anxiety. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's not doing anything to get killed." said Chojuro as Ameyuri turned to look at him. "Of all the things Naruto is, he isn't stupid. He probably sensed that they only wanted him seeing how he is the one with the flag. Maybe there are more directions. He'll be back, I'm sure of it. No use worrying like that."

Ameyuri visibly calmed down at that before laughing slightly. "This is usually the other way around. I'm usually calming your nerves. When did we switch? I don't like it." said Ameyuri as Chojuro merely shrugged.

"I'm not the one with a crush on Naruto." said Chojuro nonchalant as he laid down and closed his eyes. Ameyuri's face turned red as she looked ready to kill Chojuro. "Don't do that. You only make it more true."

Ameyuri was ready to say something to Chojuro but just stopped. She took a deep breath and turned back toward where Naruto left. _"You better come back Pretty Boy." _thought Ameyuri.

_(With Naruto)_

The Lightning Dragon that was Naruto landed about 300 feet away from his teammates as he looked around. Naruto stood for several seconds before he ducked. Right over his head flew several needles from his left. Looking at the needles, Naruto saw they were dripping with a purple liquid.

_"Poison." _thought Naruto as he stood and looked behind him.

"I know you're there." said Naruto as he pointed at a tree. Naruto then pointed toward the ground. "And your partner is below me."

Walking from behind the tree was what looked like a hunchback with a hood covering his face. The hunchback was wearing a long black robe with red clouds adorning it. Taking off the hood, the hunchback man had a dark face and his hair was five widespread braids that turned up at the end.

"Seems the information on you was correct. You are a good sensor." said the hunchback in a deep voice as he moved toward Naruto. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sasori."

Naruto nodded his head. "Right. And your partner is?" questioned Naruto as he jumped back slightly. Coming up from the spot he just jumped off was a large snake. Only the head of the snake appeared from the ground as it opened its mouth.

"My name is Orochimaru." said a voice coming from inside the snake's mouth. Stepping out of it calmly was a man of good height. Orochimaru had abnormally pale white skin and waist length black hair. He had a long face with pronounced cheek bones to go along with gold, slit eyes with purple markings around his eyes that made him seem more snake-like. Orochimaru also donned the same black cloak with red clouds as Sasori.

Naruto noticed the matching attire. "Are you both apart of some sort of group?" questioned Naruto tensed for any type of movement from the two.

"Kukukuku. You seem a little nervous." said Orochimaru. "Don't worry, we are not here to fight or kill you. We just need to tell you something. Well, maybe more of an offer really."

"Tell me something? Offer?" said Naruto still not easing up in the slightest. "What is it?"

"You're taking too long Orochimaru. I don't like to wait." said Sasori irritated at Orochimaru's antics. "We are apart of a group named **Akatsuki (Daybreak).** We know all about you, about your abilities."

Naruto blanched at that notion. "You know about me? How? I would have known if you were spying on me?" said Naruto trying to figure out how they even got close to him to know what he could do.

"That is of no concern to you at this pressing moment." said Sasori as Orochimaru stepped forward. "We just want you to know that we can help you with your dream of bringing stability to Kirigakure. In return, you will join our organization."

"And what does your organization want to do?" questioned Naruto as Orochimaru spoke again.

"Same thing you want to do. Bring peace. Except on a larger scale." said Orochimaru. "Not just to Kirigakure. But to the world. Those are the words from our leader."

_"Peace to the world." _thought Naruto still looking at the two ninjas opposing him. "How would you go about that? If terror creates that peace then that is not true peace." said Naruto.

"This is not a matter of discussion Naruto-kun." said Orochimaru. "We have said what we need to say. If you want help in taking down Yagura and bringing peace to your village then you will need us. And in return, you will help us with our own ambition. Dwell on that thought and we will ask it again later."

As the two Akatsuki shinobi turned around, Sasori left Naruto with a few more words. "And we're sure you know not to tell anyone about this meeting. I'd hate for something to happen to the pretty red-head you like. Both of them, Ameyuri Ringo and Mei Terumi are their names I believe." said Sasori as the two disappeared in shunshins leaving Naruto alone.

Naruto was frozen in place for a few seconds after their departure. Finally gaining the ability to move again, Naruto headed back toward his two teammates. Ameyuri and Chojuro were both sitting down waiting for his return. Well Chojuro was still laying down with his eyes closed. A few seconds later, Naruto came down landing in front of the two of them.

"Miss me?" questioned Naruto as Ameyuri immediately stood up with Chojuro just opening his eyes.

"Pretty Boy! Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?" questioned Ameyuri as Naruto smiled at her.

"I'll take that as a yes." said Naruto as he began to walk back up the mountain. "Seems like we're fine, we'll make it to the arena safely and there we will have our last test. Seems we are the second team to pass."

Ameyuri and Chojuro both were walking behind Naruto as they breathed out in relief at that.

"Thank goodness. I'm tired of walking up this mountain. I hope they let us rest before the next task." said Chojuro as Ameyuri nodded her head.

Naruto just continued to walk ahead of them as his thoughts were elsewhere. _"Luckily I can sense that other team already there or it would have been hard to lie to them." _thought Naruto as his eyes peered back to his teammates. _"Akatsuki. Something about this just seems off. How could they know so much about me?" _

The team of three just continued up the mountain as they eventually made it to the arena at the top in a little over an hour. The Arena was huge, more like a coliseum. The team of 3 noticed a giant door and figured that was where they needed to head toward. In the center of that door was a key hole.

"So that's what the other end of the flag is for." said Naruto as he turned the end of the flag toward the hole before pushing it in. Hearing it lock into place, Naruto turned the key to the right 90 degrees before it stopped and clicked. A large poof of smoke occurred from the key hole as Kitsuchi appeared from it.

"Congratulations to you all from Kiri. You have passed the second task and are the second team to finish behind the Konoha Group." said Kitsuchi as the three smiled. "There are rooms available for you that your sensei will guide you to when you walk in. Once the next two teams arrive, I will give you the instructions for the third task the following morning. Good luck and congratulations once again."

Kitsuchi stepped to the side to allow the Kiri Genin entrance into the building. Upon their entrance, Naruto glanced over to see Mangetsu leaning on the wall looking at them.

"Yo! Nii-san. We did it." said Naruto jovially as Ameyuri smirked and Chojuro gave a small smile. "And we're the second to finish."

Mangetsu just nodded at his team. "That you all did. And I'm sure you're all tired. Let me show you all to your room." said Mangetsu as the three nodded their heads. Letting the three have some time to rest before he asked them what happened, Mangetsu walked back to the lobby after getting his Genin to their room. Walking into the lobby, he saw Kurenai walking in at the same time as him.

"Nice seeing you here." said Kurenai with a smile. "I guess your twin and his team actually passed. Congrats."

"Seems like it." said Mangetsu. "Speaking of your team. Not to sound rude but what's the deal with them. Well more specifically the girl. Seeing how the other two look 10 and she's what, 14?"

Kurenai nodded her head at that. "Right. I guess we have some time." said Kurenai as she sat on a nearby bench. Mangetsu just leaned against the wall to allow Kurenai to continue. "I'm not really their full-time sensei. They were just placed together, given a month to train together before being placed in the exams. I'm just here as a Jonin to sponsor them. The first two are both Uchiha prodigies, they are especially good for their age. And as far as Anko goes, she was Orochimaru's apprentice."

Mangetsu looked slightly shocked at that announcement. "Didn't Orochimaru leave your village about five years ago?" questioned Mangetsu intrigued more about the violet haired girl.

"Right. Orochimaru took interest in Anko at the age of 5, four years before he left." said Kurenai. "He trained her. Took her on missions. Seeing how Anko is an orphan, Orochimaru became like a father to her. Anko became a Genin at the age of 8 and a year later was going to the Chunin exams seeking promotion. She was a sure thing for promotion too from what her record says. But, Orochimaru was doing illegal things, got caught and fled the village before she got the chance. They labeled him a traitor and seeing how Anko was the only thing Orochimaru 'left' in the village, most in Konoha shunned her because of it. Most of the ninjas treated her differently along with the villagers and it was tough for her. Especially trying to get promoted or sent on missions with others. I met her when she was 12 and told her that I'd try to help her. And here we are two years later. I found two Genin who didn't mind being her teammate and it's looking up for her in the village. I mean five years since and her passion for Orochimaru just shifted to the village and into hatred for him. I believe people are noticing that fact as well"

"That's a great story. I'm happy for her." said Mangetsu. "On to a lighter note, you do still know that my team is going to kick your team's ass right?"

Kurenai just laughed. "Heh. How much are you willing to put on that?" questioned Kurenai as Mangetsu just laughed.

"I only bet if it's an A rank mission pay or more." said Mangetsu as Kurenai easily nodded her head.

"S rank pay it is then." said Kurenai back as Mangetsu smiled as the two Jonin sat together for a little longer to give their Genin some peace.

_(Later That Night) _

Naruto laid in his bed, eyes open as he couldn't help but think about today's events. Mangetsu had come in a few hours earlier to ask them about how it went. Naruto told him everything but omitted the part where he met the Akatsuki. Looking to his right, in their own beds were Ameyuri and Chojuro sound asleep.

_"This should be interesting tomorrow. Passing along with us were the Konoha team, Kumo team, and the Iwa team with the Jinchuriki boy." _thought Naruto. _"I wonder what the third task is about. Only 12 people. It is sure to be interesting." _

Naruto perked up slightly when he felt a chakra signature headed toward his room. However, it was coming from the outside of his window. Looking out the window, Naruto saw the calm and stoic face of Samui. Her blue eyes looking sharp in the moonlight as she motioned for him to follow her. Stepping out of his bed, Naruto walked over to the window before lifting it and jumping out to land on the side of the building.

_"Thank Kami for Silent Killing." _thought Naruto as he didn't make a peep on his way to the roof of the arena. Landing on top of the arena, Naruto noticed Samui sitting down in a lotus position waiting for him in front of a fire.

Sitting down in front of her, Naruto decided to pose a question. "Why did you want to talk to me? Out here no less and at this time." asked Naruto as Samui's stoic face never wavered.

"I couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about earlier." said Samui as Naruto wondered about what. "Why did you save me? You could have just jumped away and let those Kunai kill me. So why protect me?"

"Right." said Naruto as he didn't know how to answer the question.

"I already know you're a sensor. Is that why? Is there something about me or my chakra?" questioned Samui as Naruto blanched slightly at her accurate deduction. "I noticed it when you jumped behind that tree right before we attacked you. You closed your eyes and upon opening them, you looked dead at me."

Naruto just smiled at Samui. "Well that makes this easier to say. I am a sensor. A pretty good one." said Naruto before rubbing a hand behind his head. "And one of my sensory abilities is to feel a person's chakra. Like, the temperature of it. And your chakra is one of the warmest I've ever felt. It's intoxicating."

Samui slightly blushed at that, though Naruto couldn't see it due to the fire slightly hiding her face. "Is that why? And why is my chakra warmer than most?" questioned Samui intrigued more with Naruto. Even losing her stoic face to show one of interest.

Naruto looked back into Samui's eyes. "I don't know why. It just depends on the person really. But there are several people with extraordinarily warm chakras just like yours. And the others who have it are really great people deep down and if I had of let you die, the world would have loss a great person." said Naruto as Samui smiled slightly. Naruto then noticed Samui reach a hand up to her shoulder. "You okay?"

Samui rubbed her shoulder a little. "Yeah. This always happens to me. My shoulders just get stiff on me." said Samui.

"You know, I do have magic hands." said Naruto jokingly. Naruto noticed Samui look at him again with her stoic face as he put up placating hands. Before he could retract his earlier statement, he saw Samui turn her body slightly.

"Well since you offered." said Samui as she put her back to Naruto. "I mean you feeling my intoxicating chakra and all, I believe I deserve something in return anyway."

Naruto sat still for a few seconds just shocked at her answer. Samui turned her head back to look at him as he snapped out of it and scooted over to her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Naruto began to rub them soothingly as he applied a bit of chakra into his palms for a warming effect. Samui closed her eyes feeling Naruto's hands work out the kinks in her shoulders.

Naruto smiled as he elicited a "mmm" noise from the pretty blonde from Kumo. Naruto continued to massage the Kumo girl as he decided to make conversation some more seeing how he couldn't sleep anyway. Might as well get to know more about the Kumo Girl before tomorrow.

_(The Next Day)_

Naruto let out a hearty yawn as he stood in a large room with Ameyuri and Chojuro to his left and right. Mangetsu was behind them as the other three teams stood the same as them. Standing before them was Kitsuchi.

"Great. Seems like we are all here. The third and last part of these Chunin Exams is a battle. Meaning you will all fight each other to see who comes out on top. No more teams, you are individual from this point on" said Kitsuchi as he pulled out a basket. "Inside this basket are 12 cards, each with a number on it ranging from 1-4. You will pick one card from the basket and it'll pair you all up with who you will be facing. Since there are 12 of you, we'll have a series of four three-way battles with one victor in each. Dwindling the numbers down to 4. Then the winners will face off in one on one battles with the winners of those facing each other in the finale."

Kitsuchi started left to right as Kumo was the first to pick, followed by Konoha, Mizu, and Iwa. Omoi drew first. Then it continued down the line.

"3." said Omoi.

"4." said Karui.

"3." said Samui.

"1." said Anko.

"2." said Itachi.

"4." said Shisui.

"2." said Ameyuri.

"1." said Naruto.

"3." said Chojuro.

"2." said Akatsuchi, the bulky teammate of Kurotsuchi and Han.

"1." said Kurotsuchi.

"4." said Han.

Kitsuchi nodded his head as he pointed toward a large screen on one side of the arena. The board clicked on as it showed the way the finale would go.

Match 1 : Anko vs Naruto vs Kurotsuchi

Match 2 : Ameyuri vs Itachi vs Akatsuchi

Match 3 : Omoi vs Samui vs Chojuro

Match 4 : Shisui vs Karui vs Han

Match 5 : Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 3

Match 6 : Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 4

Match 7 : Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 6

"Great. Now that you know who you all are facing. You have one month to train for your matches." said Kitsuchi as Karui decided to speak up.

"Wait. We get a month to train?" questioned Karui as Kitsuchi nodded. "Not to seem rude..but why?"

"Well these exams are to show the might of one's village." said Kitsuchi. "And there are plenty of people who love to come to these exams and it takes time to get ready for such a thing. So we give you all a month. Enjoy it and be back ready to fight. Everyone will be watching."

_"One step closer." _thought Naruto with a smile as the Chunin Exam Finals were just a month away.

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**And that's a wrap.**

**Review Review Review...or send me a PM.**

**-Hamp Out**


	5. Finals Interlude

**And I'm back. Chapter 5 peeps. Enjoy.**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I am however several quizzes, two tests, 1 essay, and a speech away from graduation. A Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. Woo. Can't wait baby. Then I'll go from making $11 an hour to $11 an hour with a bachelor's degree while looking for a teaching job. Should be fun.

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**Chapter 5: Finals Interlude**

"Only 25 days left until we return." said Naruto to himself in the mirror after brushing his teeth. It was morning time in Kiri as Naruto smiled happily being back home. Following Kitsuchi's announcement about the Chunin Exam Finals, Team Mangetsu headed back to Kiri to prep for the finals. They arrived two days ago and dozens of civilians greeted and congratulated the team on their success.

Despite the warm welcome, the team knew they needed to train. Seeing how they were no longer a team, the three split up to train alone. Ameyuri got the pleasure of training with Raiga, a current member of the Seven Swordsmen.

Raiga was a powerful shinobi and he wielded the _**Kibas (Fangs)**. _The Kibas were swords imbued with lightning granting them acknowledgement as the sharpest blades in existence. The Lightning blades also earned Raiga the title of _Kirigakure no Raijin (Thunder of the Hidden Mist). _Due to Ameyuri's attitude and lightning affinity, Raiga took a liking to her when he realized Yagura had already taken Naruto. He was by no means training her to use the swords but Raiga could definitely teach her a thing or two to help her chances at winning the finals. But he couldn't help but show her some styles that went with the swords. Plus it would set in place her eventual successor role.

Naruto's other teammate, Chojuro, had Mangetsu as his personal teacher once again. The fighting style Chojuro had, along with his strength, made him perfect as Mangetsu's twin when Mangetsu wielded Hiramekarai. Chojuro was mainly a taijutsu fighter so Mangetsu helped him work on his ninjutsu for the exams and for the future. It seemed like Ameyuri and Chojuro received training from Swordsmen who wielded a sword that would be their sword one day. Naruto was a little saddened he was still stuck with Yagura, not getting the 'specialized' training with a swordsman like his comrades were. That fact however changed today.

Wearing a purple shirt, dark pants, and black shinobi sandals to go along with his Chokuto and trusty belt that carries his water bottles, Naruto headed toward Yagura's chakra signature. Yagura stood on a small lake inside a training ground. Naruto noticed that there was another presence there with Yagura though. One who dwarfed the Kage in physical size and had a chakra that was abnormally high.

Naruto smiled heartily when he realized who it was. Landing on top of the lake several feet behind the shinobi, Naruto spoke. "I am here Yagura-sama. And Fuguki-senpai, it is a pleasure to meet you." said Naruto bowing as Fuguki jumped slightly at his voice.

"Damn." said Fuguki turning around to look at Naruto. "You're quiet kid. And you can suppress your chakra. I like it."

Fuguki was a large man though he looked more fish than human. He was a tall man with a wide body and his fish like face gave him a puffer-fish like appeal in Naruto's opinion. He had small round eyes and sharp jagged teeth typical of a Seven Swordsman. Fuguki also had long, orange hair that reached to his back with some pinned up at the top with six green stripes on his face, three on each cheek. Attire-wise he wore the standard striped jumpsuit of Kirigakure, a black outfit over it as well as a white cloak over that. Sitting over his shoulder was one of the most famous swords in the world.

"Hi Samehada." said Naruto as he noticed the bandaged sword wiggled, probably saying hello back. Naruto knew Samehada was a sentient sword but to actually see it 'say' hi back was impressive. "Yagura-sama. Why is Fuguki-senpai here?"

Yagura smiled at his apprentice. "That I'm sure Fuguki-kun would enjoy telling you though I'm sure you have an idea." said Yagura as Fuguki grinned at Naruto. "I have more pressing matters at the moment and from this point on, Fuguki here will oversee your training instead of me. Train well Naruto-kun. Do not disappoint me in the finals. I still expect a victory."

Yagura disappeared in a shunshin as Fuguki continued to stare at Naruto. Naruto was about to say something before he felt Fuguki build up chakra. Naruto immediately crouched down as Samehada went flying over his head from a slash from the large man now standing right in front of Naruto. Naruto then back pedaled across the lake away from Fuguki, who just continued to look at him still smiling.

"Survive." said Fuguki as he held a half ram seal. **"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Technique)" **

From the water in front of Fuguki, a large shark made of water came flying out of it at Naruto. Naruto looked at the fast paced water shark before he dissolved into the water below him, avoiding the powerful water shark exploding where he just was. Fuguki smiled as he jumped off the lake and on the ground surrounding it as Naruto came popping out of the water after him with his chokuto in hand.

"Seems you don't know the meaning of survive." said Fuguki as he blocked the strike from Naruto. Fuguki easily overpowered Naruto as he batted him several feet away with ease. "I like it. Show me something Naruto."

Naruto came back at Fuguki to impress the grinning swordsman.

_(Four Minutes and Twenty-two seconds Later) _

Naruto laid flat-out on the ground huffing and puffing as he attempted to catch his breath. Naruto had several large gashes on his skin as if he ran into a shredder. Fuguki though, looked only mildly like he was in a fight. Fuguki had several cut marks but none that actually pierced his skin and that was it on his side of things. But that was what impressed him the most.

"Heh. You actually managed to cut my shirt kid." said Fuguki as Naruto blew out a large breath before smiling while on his back. "Several times to boot. Good on ya."

"I'll do better next time. I didn't realize Samehada absorbed that much chakra. I couldn't even liquefy anymore after two minutes." said Naruto as he moved his head over to see Samehada free of its bandages.

Samehada is atypical in that a series of down facing scales running along the entirety of its length comprises it up until its hilt, at the base of which is a small skull. Another special feature is that Samehada grows larger in proportion to the amount of chakra it absorbs, causing its scales to become so long that they ultimately resemble shark fins and its mouth, at the tip of the blade, to become even more pronounced. And due to absorbing Naruto's chakra, that large version of Samehada was looking right at Naruto despite not having eyes.

Naruto smiled at the sword as he looked down to see the hilt of the sword touching his hand. Naruto could feel chakra flowing back into him as he felt his strength returning. The gashes on Naruto's skin turned to scabs as Naruto stood back up when he felt he received enough chakra from the sword, which shrank due to returning most of the chakra it absorbed. Fuguki then walked over and grabbed Samehada as he spoke to Naruto.

"Normally, Samehada doesn't give back the chakra it absorbs. Must mean it likes you." said Fuguki as he pulled out a roll of bandages from his ninja pouch. Wrapping those bandages around Samehada, Fuguki continued to talk. "If Samehada likes you, then I like you. And for that reason, I have something for you kid."

Naruto looked intrigued when he saw Fuguki pull out a scroll and toss it to him. Catching the scroll, Fuguki insisted that Naruto open it and see what was inside. Doing as told, Naruto looked surprised at the contents.

"Summoning Scroll." said Naruto in amazement as he looked back at Fuguki. "Are you sure about this? I mean you just met me."

Fuguki went back to wrapping Samehada back up. "Like I said. Sword likes you. I like you." said Fuguki as he was nearly finished. "Samehada also is the only one who chooses the next Shark summoner and everyone on that list gained approval just like you kid. In the same way. Right after an ass-whooping."

Naruto looked back at the scroll as he went through every name. Coming to the last two, Naruto noticed something. "Hey senpai. How come your name is in blue on here but the name after yours, Kisame Hoshigaki, is in black like the rest of the people on here. Did something happen to him?" questioned Naruto as Fuguki finished fully bandaging Samehada back up.

"Kisame. Kisame is a traitor. Kisame _was _a traitor." said Fuguki. "He betrayed his village and for that, I had to kill him before he could kill me and go rogue."

Naruto just nodded his head at that. _"He's lying." _thought Naruto internally, having felt the fluctuation in Fuguki's chakra when he spoke. _"Or maybe it was just a stressful point for him. Clearly Kisame was his disciple and maybe it was tough for him to kill him. But then again, my sensory ability is usually never wrong about that." _

Realizing that even though Fuguki could be lying and was the traitor to Kiri not Kisame, Naruto also realized that he couldn't do anything to stop him at this point. He knew how strong Kisame was and if Fuguki could kill him then he'd have no problem handling Naruto at his current skill level. Especially considering the short fight they had not to long ago when he wasn't even trying. So might as well play along with whatever he wanted to do and try not to seem suspicious.

"Well go ahead kid." said Fuguki talking about the scroll. "Sign the scroll before I or Samehada change our minds. Just draw blood and place your five fingerprints on there in blood before signing your name below. After that, I'll teach you a jutsu."

Following Fuguki's instructions, Naruto did exactly as Fuguki said. Finished signing his name, the red that was his signature turned into a bright blue as Fuguki rolled the scroll back up and placed it in his ninja pouch.

"Seems like you're all set. Now, go to the water and stand atop it." said Fuguki as Naruto jumped out on the lake, standing atop it with chakra. "The jutsu I'm showing you is the _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique). **_Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram are the seals. Channel some chakra and slam your hand on the surface of the water after finishing the seals."

Fuguki looked at Naruto with shock as he saw him just move his hand slowly to the surface of the water.

_**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)" **_thought Naruto channeling a huge amount of chakra as a seal spread over the water below him. A large poof of smoke occurred as Fuguki's shocked face stayed while he thought about what he just saw.

_"That kid. His hand seal speed is incredible." _thought Fuguki as the smoke began to clear some. _"To think someone could run through seals fast enough to not be seen. And at that age. Despite his lack in strength to wield Samehada, the kid's other talents are more than impressive. Plus Yagura is making me make him the next Samehada wielder so..might as well get over the fact he is not a juggernaut like Kisame was and I am. He can probably use it like how Mangetsu does, being from the Hozuki Clan. That'd definitely be scary." _

The smoke fully cleared from the earlier jutsu as Fuguki smiled. "Kid. Greatness is upon you." said Fuguki as Naruto stood atop the body of a shark. But not just any shark. "The most ferocious of sea creatures. The Great White Shark. Impressive you summoned that type first try."

"There are more types? And what makes this one so special?" questioned Naruto as he stood atop the shark's head, that was barely able to fit his two feet. "Plus this thing is tiny. It's like I summoned a baby and I used a lot of chakra too. Am I really that weak?"

"Heh. Slow down on the questions kid." said Fuguki as Naruto looked sheepish at that. He was curious is all. "Of course there are more types of sharks. Tiger, Blue, Whale, Great White, Bull, and etc. You'll learn all of their individual uses but Great Whites are like I said earlier, the most ferocious. They are the best in battle underwater bar any shark and sea creature. But you better be careful though."

"Why-" started Naruto before the shark below him moved its head up quickly, sending Naruto flying into the air. The shark's mouth opened wide, well as wide as it could, as Naruto was falling directly over it. Even while shocked by the shark's aggression in trying to eat him, Naruto still managed to turn his body around and flow through hands seals.

**"Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder)" **said Naruto as from his hands, bolts of white lightning went surging down into the lake below. The lightning easily mixed with the water in the lake as it shocked the shark enough for it to dispel in a poof of smoke. Naruto ended his technique as he landed on the electrically charged lake.

"What the hell? Why did it try to eat me?" questioned Naruto as Fuguki just laughed.

"No one really controls a Great White Shark. They'll eat you if you're not careful." said Fuguki as Naruto's head dropped at that notion.

_"Why would I want a summon who would try to kill me." _thought Naruto as Fuguki just laughed.

"Don't worry kid. I'm sure you'll be fine." said Fuguki. "But our training is not done. I only have 3 weeks to train you to win the exams. If you do win the exams, you'll become my successor and the training really begins. Now get ready. We have a lot of work to do."

Naruto looked back up at Fuguki as he readied for the rest of today's training. _"I have to win the exams. Gaining one of the Seven Swords could help me bring peace to Kiri."_ thought Naruto as the determination could be seen in his eyes.

_"Heh. Kid's got the determination at least." _thought Fuguki as he smiled at Naruto. _"Time to see if he can withstand this imminent torture. If he can. I may teach him some more jutsus to add to his arsenal." _

_(Mizukage Tower - Same Time)_

Opening the door to his office, Yagura walked over to his desk before sitting down. As he sat down, a spiraling vortex opened up behind him. Out of that vortex stepped out a man with a dark blue kimono on with a white mask donning black flames on it. From the floorboards of the office, what appeared was a venus fly trap which opened to show another man.

"You're late." said the masked man as he looked out through the office's window.

"Sorry. I can't move as fast as you can" said plant looking man as he looked at Yagura. "Hello puppet."

Yagura's eyes glowed red for a second before they turned back normal. "What is it that you want?" questioned Yagura.

"How is Naruto doing?" questioned the man as Yagura perked up slightly.

"Naruto-kun. He is well." said Yagura before adding. "Samehada isn't the sword I would give him though. He can learn how to use it because he's savvy like Mangetsu but something like Nuibiari, Kibas, or even the Kubrikihocho would suit him better. He's not a ninjutsu or taijutsu juggernaut. Outside of the **Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden in the Mist Technique), **he only knows two water jutsu and a lightning one. He's more a subtle, speedy, Genjutsu type...which is his favorite shinobi art."

"Samehada is the sword he needs to have. It'll be perfect for my plans." said the Masked Man. "I don't care how you do it but make sure he can use that sword. Ever since Kisame failed in killing Fuguki, I need a replacement."

Yagura understood, Samehada could handle taking on Jinchuriki. Even he was afraid of that sword when it was correctly wielded. However, Yagura decided to question the Masked Man on his choice in replacement.

"What makes Naruto the replacement over anyone else?" asked Yagura as even the plant man wanted to know.

"Naruto is something that had I of seen first and thought about how I do now, I'd have picked him over Kisame." said the Masked Man as he continued to look out the window. "Naruto is a Genjutsu expert. And with Samehada at his disposal, he could become perfect as that sword will boost his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu considerably. He'll.."

"Be able to handle any situation. And he'll be the perfect ninja to handle capturing Jinchuriki." said the plant man as the Masked Man nodded. "He could catch the dimwitted ones in Genjutsu and/or handle the big chakra slinging ones with Samehada. He'll be the perfect ninja for capturing Tailed Beasts if he joins us with it. You really thought that out. Though I'll miss Kisame, he talks more than Naruto plus he loved battles unlike Naruto-kun's pacifist nature."

"It doesn't matter. Naruto will accept our terms and join us. Even with his pacifist nature he will do what is asked of him. He's the only one I can manipulate at this point with his young age." said the Masked Man. "And as far as accepting our help, he'll have no choice and I'm sure I can get him to boost my plans even if he may eventually betray me. But by then, it'll be too late and they'll be nothing he can do."

"Yes. Naruto-kun would not be able to take me on without your help." said Yagura. "I'm too far ahead of him. It'd take him a decade, if that, to face me in battle and win."

"Right. We'd lose Kiri anyway given enough time. The Rebel forces are growing by the day and they'll eventually have someone to take on Yagura." said the plant man as another voice seemed to come out of him. **"That's why he plans to take one of their strongest shinobis with him. He's done messing with Kiri after the death of his...love. Now it's time to focus on our project for the future." **

"Indeed. So he will take our offer. It may not happen now, but it'll happen eventually." said the Masked Man. "So be sure he gets that sword Yagura." finished the Masked Man with authority.

Yagura's eyes glowed red again as the Masked Man vanished in the same swirling vortex. The plant man also disappeared through the floorboards as Yagura's eyes stopped glowing.

_"Fuguki already knows Naruto will be his successor." _thought Yagura as he picked up a stack of battle reports. _"Hopefully Samehada takes a liking to Naruto. Because if that doesn't happen, it doesn't matter what anybody wants or thinks."_

* * *

_(Several Hours Later - Waterfall Lake)_

Dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with blue knee-length shorts and blue sandals was Mei. Mei was smiling happily as she looked at Naruto laying face down in the dirt not moving. Naruto had drug himself to the waterfall lake that he and Mei were in before he left for the Chunin Exam. At the end of their time together last time, he told her to meet him back there in a week's time if they did indeed return by then.

"Rough Day?" questioned Mei as she heard Naruto groan into the dirt. Taking that as a yes, Mei sat down next to the motionless swordsman. "I guess Yagura-sama really wants you to win."

"In a vay, jes. Owevar, I fauze wiff Fujuki shnempa- Aaahh!" yelped Naruto, who had talked intelligibly into the dirt beforehand. Mei grew tired of it and placed a hand to his side before rolling him over not realizing that Naruto's entire body was sore and the lightest touch was pain to him.

Mei stifled down a laugh at the boy's misfortune. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun. I didn't know it would hurt that much." said Mei as she placed a hand on his chest. "Here. Let me see what I can do."

Mei's hand glowed a bright green. **"Shosen no Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique)" **said Mei as she held her hand on Naruto's chest.

"I didn't know you were a medic." said Naruto as Mei shook her head.

"I'm not. We just all have to learn the basics of it." said Mei as she looked into Naruto's violet eyes. "Can't necessarily get rushed to the nearest hospital as a bloodline shinobi. So we have to know enough to get us back to the campsite and around our medics."

Naruto just looked back up at Mei's green eyes. "Well I hope to fix that." said Naruto as Mei smiled.

"I know. I still remember your promise." said Mei as she went back to concentrating on Naruto. Naruto just sat content in the feeling of being healed by Mei. It was nowhere near as good as a trained medic but it definitely was getting the soreness out of his body. And the trained medics didn't have a chakra signature like Mei's that Naruto could revel in.

_"Her chakra is still the warmest I've ever felt." _thought Naruto using his sensory ability to bask in Mei's chakra. _"It's like the best feeling ever." _

"...about your day?" said Mei as Naruto snapped out of his thoughts hearing the end part of Mei's question. Luckily he figured she must have tried to resume the question about his day.

"Right. Yeah, Yagura-sama does really want me to win. Even I want to." said Naruto as Mei finished healing him as best she could. She then placed her knees up as to rest her chin on to listen to Naruto. "But today. I got to train with Fuguki-senpai. He is the worst."

"Fuguki? As in Fuguki Suikazan? The puffer fish with Samehada?" questioned Mei as Naruto laughed at the puffer fish nickname.

"That was my first thought of him when I got to meet him." said Naruto as he slowly sat up. "How do you know him?"

"Well he is one of Seven Swordsmen. But I first found out about him when I was six. It was the first time that I ever met Yagura. And Fuguki was with him." said Mei as she put her head down slightly. "It was the day I lost my mother."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You don't have to continue if you don't want to.." said Naruto trailing off as Mei put a hand up to stop him.

"No it's fine. I've had time to cope with it. I never knew who my father was. My mom told me that he died three months before I was born, meaning I never got to meet him." said Mei. "My mom did say that I have his 'Gentle Green' eyes"

Mei took a far off look as she remembered what her mother told her of her father. His love for his village, teammates, and his family was comparable to nobody. Mei let out a sigh before continuing her story.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sleeping in my room. I can't remember but it was some time between 2 and 5 am when my mother burst into my room." said Mei as Naruto looked more and more interested at the story. "She was screaming at me to wake up but I was so groggy that I don't remember what she said to me. She picked me up and placed me in the door on the floor, which led to the adjacent forest as a sort of last-ditch effort to get away. I saw her mouth the words "I love you" before she sealed the door with a Yoton technique. At that point, I finally woke up and scrambled to the end of the underground tunnel and came jumping out into the forest. Turning around, there was a massive fire. Houses were burning and right in the middle of my community was Yagura and Fuguki along with several others. They had a dozen of the people me and my mom lived with and had just seized my mom before dragging her in with the others. I saw Fuguki and Yagura slay all of them before burning their bodies with no remorse before leaving. I cried that night. In the forest alone for what seemed like hours until the sun began to peek over the horizon. It was the worst day of my life but also the day that I grew resolve. I grew up that day. And in the death of my mother, I realized what I wanted to be and do. I was going to end the civil war in Kiri by any means necessary. And I've grown strong in those four years. I can feel it. Even those around me can feel it. I'm going to be strong enough to stop Yagura if it's the last thing that I do."

"Wow." said Naruto. "That's a lot to..Wow."

"I know. That's why I have to get stronger. I can't just sit and wait while they continue to hunt all of us. While other kids like me have to watch their parents perish." said Mei as Naruto noticed the passion in her eyes. "I love Kiri, it is my home and I will fix all of this some day. I don't know how but I will. I will become strong enough to stop this war and help bring Kiri back to internal peace."

"Well I'm definitely on board with that. I'll gladly help you in any way I can." said Naruto as Mei smiled at the Hozuki clan member. Mei's smile widened slightly before she quickly placed a hand on his chest and pushed him backwards with a little force.

"AAAAHHH!" shouted Naruto in agony again as the soreness from earlier was still affecting him despite Mei's healing. Naruto fell to his back, rolling along his side as he grumbled incoherent shouts of pain before he finally stopped at the water.

Mei chuckled at Naruto. "Enough with all that serious talk. I don't come here for that." said Mei as she looked at the motionless Naruto. "And if that is all it takes. I bet I could kick your ass now without even using chakra."

A few more seconds passed by and Mei realized that Naruto still wasn't moving and with his face down like that, he could potentially drown.

"Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun!" shouted Mei as she ran over to Naruto. She grabbed him and flipped him toward her, away from the water. In doing so, she was totally unprepared for what ensued. Naruto smiled at her as he opened his eyes before grabbing her and rolling back toward the water. That action sent him and Mei tumbling several feet into the frigid cold water of the lake.

Mei stood up after a few seconds and the cold water had her soaked to the bone, from her head to her toes. With her red hair sticking to her face and shirt, Mei laughed and then noticed Naruto's head peeking a few feet away from her as if he was trying to hide.

"Ohh it's on now." said Mei as she lunged at the white-haired boy.

* * *

_(Three weeks later - Kirigakure Gate)_

"Damn Pretty Boy." said Ameyuri with slightly wide eyes as she noticed him walking up to the three of them. Hearing the red-head, Mangetsu and Chojuro turned to where she was looking to see Naruto walking toward them. Chojuro just smirked and nodded at Naruto.

"Heh. Nice." said Mangetsu as Naruto smiled at the three of them.

"You guys look ready." said Naruto as he glanced at their attires. Mangetsu still looked the same as before, it was Ameyuri and Chojuro who changed just like him.

Ameyuri was wearing a gray, pin-striped long-sleeved shirt with a darker gray obi around her waist and black pants. She wore regular sandals and attached to her obi were two ninjas pouches. Naruto also noticed the dual swords peeking over each of her shoulders, forming an X. Her forehead protector was still around her forehead but changed to black rather than blue to match her outfit.

_"Dual Swords. Someone must have learned something new." _thought Naruto as he peered his eyes out at Chojuro who hadn't changed really.

Chojuro still wore a long-sleeved shirt with his forehead protector sown into the chest of it. However his shirt was also pin-striped, matching Ameyuri's except it was a light blue. His pinstripes were dark blue and matched his pants and sandals. Chojuro had three ninja pouches on the back of his waist and was carrying a small cleaver sword.

_"Heavy ass sword. I wonder how he swings that thing so easily." _thought Naruto as he then glanced at his own attire.

Naruto wore a short-sleeved red shirt that matched the tint on his white hair with black pants that ran into black shinobi sandals. Over top of that red shirt though, Naruto wore an unzipped yakuza style jacket that had a white body with black sleeves, rolled up slightly to end at his forearms. On the back of the jacket was a large, red Uzumaki swirl. Naruto's forehead protector was around his forehead as the two bangs of white hair flowed pass them to frame his face like before. Naruto still wore his white belt that carried his two water bottles and the two ninja pouches on his back. However, his sword was nowhere on his person.

"Yo Naruto. Where is your sword?" questioned Mangetsu as he knew that Naruto wouldn't leave without it. He knew how much that sword meant to him.

Naruto smiled as he rubbed a hand over his wrist. Everyone now noticed the seal attached to his wrist by a piece of paper. A poof of smoke later and there in his hand was his red chokuto with the pure white blade.

"Right here." said Naruto as he made it poof back into the seal. "I'd never leave my mother's sword. It's one of the few things I have of hers."

Mangetsu smiled at Naruto. _"Someone has gotten better at seals."_ thought Mangetsu. _"He seems confident and the outfit.. a little flashy but I like it. Heh, 'Look good, Fight good' as he always says."_

Mangetsu, Chojuro, and Naruto began to walk away once the final member of their team arrived. The three men of Team Mangetsu never even noticed that they left a still blushing Ameyuri behind, who was still in shock at the outfit that Naruto was wearing. Realizing her team was leaving her, Ameyuri snapped out of her trance to catch up with her team.

_"Damn. Pretty Boy definitely lives up to the moniker." _thought Ameyuri as she ran to catch up with her team. _"Back to Iwa we go. Team Mangetsu in the Chunin Exams. I can't wait to show off my new skills." _

All of the finalists shared that same thought. In four days, all hell would break loose and the world would be watching. This would be a Chunin Exam that every one would be comparing future Chunin Exams to.

* * *

**And that's a Wrap.**

**Review or send a pm.**

**-Hamp Out**


	6. Finals I

**And I'm Back. Chapter Six. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I did get a promotion though. Manager Hamp, out this bitch. Can you say $24.50 an hour? Cause that's what my paycheck is saying these days. And it's salary based, 160 hours a month no matter how much I work...which is only 100ish due to my general awesomeness. WOO! I feel amazing. Life is good. And I shall now drown in this illegally purchased Alcohol to celebrate such a life victory.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Finals I**

"Welcome to you all from all across the Elemental Nations. My name is Kitsuchi and I shall be the proctor of this Chunin Exam Final." The booming voice of Kitsuchi sounded out from the middle of the arena as the audience erupted in cheers. All of the contestants were back in Iwa and standing in the same arena they were in once completing the second task. Only this time, hundreds, maybe a thousand people, filled the stands around them. The audience quieted down slightly as Kitsuchi took that as a cue to continue. "This Chunin Exam Final shall consist of three rounds. Before we begin, we'll have a few words from the Tsuchikage."

The entirety of the stadium all glanced up to the highest box in the stadium where a short man began to float up into the air out if it. He was an old man, easily in his sixties. He wears a green and yellow coat with a red collar. Underneath he wears the traditional Iwagakure outfit consistent of a light green version of Iwagakure's flak jacket and mesh armour. He however has both his sleeves of his shirt, but kept the single lapel on his right side. Despite his stature, power radiated off the old man like every other Kage.

"Hello to you all. My name is Ōnoki and I'd like to welcome you all to Iwagakure. Thank you for joining us on this occasion." said Onoki as he looked at all the contestants. "I wish all of you luck in the upcoming Finals. Remember, not only are you fighting for your chance to become a Chunin, but also for your villages. With that, let us get to it."

The crowd erupted into more cheers as Onoki floated back into the Kage box that two other shinobi occupied. Those other two shinobi were the Raikage and Hokage, Kumogakure's Kage and Konohagakure's Kage respectively.

A snort came from the larger of the three Kage just as Onoki sat down. "You call that a speech? You've grown complacent in your advanced age." said the large Kage in yellow robes.

Before Onoki could respond, a smooth voice came from the Kage in red robes. "Ay-Dono. You shouldn't speak of your elders like that. Especially when they out number you in this little booth." said the Hokage to the Raikage, Ay. "Though if I were to guess, Onoki-dono kept his speech short to get on with the proceedings. People get antsy at these kind of contests."

"Hiruzen-dono is right." said Onoki as he sat down while Kitsuchi went through the instructions for the exams. "Though Hiruzen, you seem confident of your shinobi."

Hiruzen chuckled slightly. "Well it's hard not to feel pride in the next generation of shinobi coming up in your village." said Hiruzen looking down at Itachi, Shisui, and Anko. "Though those three are some of the more impressive ones in recent memory. What about you Ay-dono?"

Ay nodded at Hiruzen. "Hmmm, just as you I suppose. These are my shinobi and you can't help but feel nothing but pride for them. Though only one of them is truly gifted and who I'd bet my money on." said Ay before turning to Onoki.

Onoki took that as his chance to speak. "This is Iwa and my shinobi have the geographical advantage with the arena being nothing but barren rock. There is a small stream but it'll not do much to help anyone. I trust my shinobi will win this event, we are hosting it this time." said Onoki before turning toward Hiruzen. "I'd hate to let Konoha win three exams in a row."

Hiruzen merely chuckled at that. "Maybe we have just gotten lucky. We did host one and Takigakure is neutral grounds between us." said Hiruzen nonchalantly, though internally he hoped for another win. Business is good when your Genin continue to make you look good at these bi-annual events. Hiruzen then turned his eyes toward the three Genin they didn't talk about. "I wonder about the Kiri team though. I wonder how good they'll be. It's the first group of Genin they've had in a while."

The other two Kage all looked at the three Kiri shinobi as well. All three took about a minute to analyze them before Onoki noticed the bright red spiral on the back of Naruto's jacket.

"Uzumaki Clan." said Onoki with slight shock as the other two took notice of that as well. "And seeing how he's not from Konoha, that's not just out of respect for the clan. Could he be related to them?"

Ay grew slightly impressed with the boy. "I'm sure he wouldn't be wearing it otherwise. He may not have the red hair but you feel the Uzumaki vitality in him. His chakra definitely reflects a member of that clan." said Ay as Hiruzen nodded, though he thought something entirely different.

_"Could he be?" _questioned Hiruzen in his mind noticing the facial features of Naruto. _"I think he just might. I hope Jiraiya is here to see him. He'll definitely want to know about this." _

"And here we go." said Onoki with a smile as Kitsuchi was ready to announce the first match.

* * *

_(Arena Floor)_

There were only four people left standing on the arena floor due to Kitsuchi ushering the rest away so he could begin. The three Genin stood in a triangle as Kitsuchi stood in between them to get things started.

"Match One of the Chunin Exam Finals. Anko Mitarashi from Konoha. Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure." said Kitsuchi as at that name many in the audience cheered loudly for their village's princess. Kitsuchi then pointed toward the last ninja in the first match. "Naruto Hozuki from Kirigakure. Are you all ready?"

Seeing the three of them nod their heads, Kitsuchi let a smile cross his face as he brought his hand down.

"Hajime!"

Kitsuchi leaped out-of-the-way of the three as they all looked at each other with quick glances. Seeing nobody move, Naruto decided it best to go ahead and get the party started. Placing one hand toward the sky, Naruto held his other hand in a half ram seal before channeling chakra.

**"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)" **said Naruto as a thin mist began to cover the area. Being that they all were 30 feet from one another and that the mist hid anything 15 feet away, the Genin were left with no visibility of each other. Naruto closed his eyes allowing his abilities to take hold.

_"I'm a sensor." _thought Naruto pinpointing Kurotsuchi and Anko still not moving. _"but I can't really use that or..." _

Naruto trailed that thought in his head before jumping out-of-the-way of a massive rock bullet that flew pass the spot he just jumped away from. Landing a few feet away, Naruto closed his eyes again.

_"She's also a sensor and if I lock on to her, she'll notice me and counter attack." _thought Naruto hiding his chakra signature before focusing on his listening. _"But unlike them, I'm trained in silent killing." _

Hearing a steady breath and heartbeat, Naruto smiled to himself before taking off in a silent sprint toward the sounds.

Anko stood alone in the mist as she breathed in and out at a regular pace. Naruto figured she was the easier target due to her being a non-sensor so he went after the violet haired Kunoichi first. Naruto appeared behind Anko with a kunai ready to place at her neck and force her to give up. However, Naruto was in for a surprise as Anko grinned.

"Sucker." said Anko as she dispelled in a poof of smoke.

_"Kage Bunshin?! She knows that high level technique?" _thought Naruto before he jumped back to avoid a numerous amount of snakes. The snakes began to chance Naruto as he continued to run backwards to get out of sight.

**"Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)" **said Anko standing 10 feet from the now retreating Naruto. Anko began to run to keep up with Naruto as to not lose him in the mist. The snakes were on Naruto closer and closer as he continued to back up. That seemed grim due to the massive rock bullet that was also heading toward him from behind. Naruto stopped jumping back as the snakes and rock bullet converged on him.

Turning into a puddle, the snakes and rock bullet flew into each other as the rock bullet mauled its way through the snakes before Anko gracefully slid underneath it. Naruto reformed out of the puddle as he noticed Anko in front of him on her knees. Not blushing at the implication that could be taken from her position's relevance to his, Naruto went through several hand seals.

**"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Technique)" **said Naruto as five clones formed behind him before darting backwards into the mist to engage the Rock Bullet firing Kurotsuchi. That left Naruto alone with the Konoha kunoichi.

Naruto kicked out at Anko's face only to watch her block the kick with both hands. Naruto retracted his foot as he threw out a flurry of punches. Anko blocked the first two punches but the next two decked her in the shoulder then face, sending her skidding across her back. Anko back flipped up from the punch, much to Naruto's surprise, as she then came rushing at him.

Anko flowed through her Taijutsu style with practiced ease as Naruto could do nothing but block and look on in fascination at her ability in the art now that she was standing.

_"True to those snakes she just sent out at me, she moves like one too." _thought Naruto blocking an overhead kick from Anko, only for her to jump spin and belt him in the stomach with her other foot. Naruto took the kick with a slight grunt as Anko landed before pushing her other foot down due to Naruto lessening his block from her stomach kick. Naruto took the kick to the head as he face planted into the ground below.

Anko smirked before noticing Naruto turn into water. "Hmmm. So he was a bunshin. I guess the real one went after that other girl." said Anko before she looked back at the puddle before her. "Unless he jus-"

A fist came flying out of the puddle as Anko's eyes widened. Anko did move to dodge the quick punch as the rest of Naruto came back out at her to continue their Taijutsu fight. Now attacking, Naruto attempted to nullify Anko's attacking Taijutsu as he intended to keep her defending against him. That plan backfired however as several more snakes came floating out of Anko's mesh shirt.

_"How the hell does she hide those things in there?" _thought Naruto before he ducked and jumped back to avoid the fast paced snakes again.

_(Audience)_

"What the hell is going on in there?" shouted a random civilian. The Audience couldn't see a thing due to the mist covering the field. Only hearing jutsu names and the small sounds of a fight. "Damn it! I want to see the action."

Several cheers in agreement sounded out as the audience continued to try to figure out what was going on. Over in the box directly opposite the Kage box were the Finalists. The 9 other finalists were all watching the fight with varying thoughts.

Shisui had his Sharingan on as he easily looked through the mist to see the fight. As did Itachi.

_"I wonder if that's all he can do." _thought Shisui watching Naruto getting bested by Anko seemingly at each of their exchanges. _"That wouldn't make sense though. That Iwa Boy said he was on par with Itachi. Maybe he's not going full-out." _

_"Naruto." _thought Samui as she kept her eyes peeled to try to see any sign that he was doing okay. _"You better win. I want to fight you for real, not like that time on the mountain." _

"LET'S GO PRETTY BOY! HURRY UP AND FINISH THIS!" shouted Ameyuri out of the Finalist Box as Chojuro, who was standing next to her, laughed slightly at his teammate's outburst. Several dozen people looked at her like she was crazy but she didn't care about how she looked or sounded, she just wanted to help her teammate.

_(Arena Floor)_

"Enough of this stupid mist." said Kurotsuchi having finished off the pestering clones. Naruto stopped Anko's snakes by cutting their heads off with a kunai before hiding from the surprisingly good kunoichi. Naruto's ears perked up as he heard Kurotsuchi go through several hand seals. Naruto panicked when he felt the air heat up and immediately went through a number of hand seals to protect himself.

**"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style : Water Encampment Wall)" **said Naruto before spewing out a large wall of water in front of him. Just as he did that, a huge wall of fire came flying into the wall as it contacted with his water wall. Steam rose and the mist lifted due to the hotter air as Naruto could now see Kurotsuchi standing on one end of the Arena floor. Naruto then turned his head to see Anko smirking at him from the end opposite Kurotsuchi.

_"Why am I sandwiched in the middle of them." _thought Naruto before seeing Anko and Kurotsuchi go through hand seals. Naruto went through his own hand seals to counter. _"I hope this works."_

**"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique)" **said Anko before spewing out a large amount of fire that took on a dragon-like appearance. Just identical to her, Kurotsuchi blew out her own stream of fire.

**"Katon: Endan (Fire Style: Flame Bullet)" **said Kurotsuchi. Anko and Kurotsuchi's jutsus were on Naruto fast. Naruto just simply shot out another stream of water from his mouth while going through another set of hand seals. The water converged around him just as the two fire jutsus sandwiched him. An explosion occurred from the two jutsus contacting with Naruto as steam clouded him for several seconds. When it died down, Naruto could be seen unharmed floating in a ball of water.

_**"Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Prison Technique)" **_thought Naruto trapped in his own technique. Rather than use the jutsu to imprison someone, Naruto used the dense water as a perfect shield against the fire techniques.

Kurotsuchi and Anko looked impressed with the jutsu's usage but also realized he was a sitting duck at the moment. The two Kunoichi sprinted toward Naruto to catch him while he couldn't move. However, Naruto wasn't done having gone through another set of seals before his movements became restricted by his technique.

_**"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Technique)" **_thought Naruto as from each side of his water prison, two large water sharks came flying out of it at the two unsuspecting kunoichis. The water sharks exploded against the two of them, sending Kurotsuchi flying backwards and Anko up due to her trying to jump over the shark but getting caught by it detonating below her.

_"Here's my chance." _thought Naruto as he let his water prison dispel into three more water clones. Two Clones went toward one Kunoichi while Naruto and the third clone went toward the other. Two Narutos arrived at Kurotsuchi, who was wet from the earlier water shark and attempting to stand back up.

"Not more clones." said Kurotsuchi as she stood and decked the first approaching Naruto with a fist. That Naruto turned to water, splashing the kunoichi before she blocked the next Naruto's punch. Kurotsuchi was ready to hit the next Naruto before she realized something.

_"The water from the first Naruto didn't stick to me...that means." _thought Kurotsuchi as a kunai found its way underneath her neck from the reformed Naruto behind her.

"Give up." said Naruto as Kurotsuchi regrettably forfeited. Naruto removed his kunai before turning toward Anko's direction while Kitsuchi nodded his head.

"Kurotsuchi of Iwa. Eliminated due to forfeit." said Kitsuchi as the Iwa girl made her way out of the arena floor. While that occurred, Naruto held the ram seal as he stared at Anko defending against his water clones.

"I was kicking your original's ass. You think I can't handle some clones?" questioned Anko before she belted one of the clones with a sharp kick to the head. That water clone dispelled into water as Anko turned her attention to the remaining one.

"Of course not. Unless..." said the clone in front of her as Anko felt her vision blur slightly.

_"Genjutsu." _thought Anko as she built up chakra. _"I may not have known my teammates for long but they are Uchihas. I can spot Genjutsu thanks to them." _

Anko broke the Genjutsu with ease before sprinting toward the remaining Naruto clone. The clone just smiled as Anko threw a fist out at him that connected with the clone, dispelling him as well. Anko then turned around to see Naruto standing on the opposite end of the stadium still holding the ram seal.

"Bring it on Pretty Boy. This fight isn't over." said Anko with a smirk that Naruto reciprocated. Naruto let his hands out of the ram seal before he pointed at Anko.

"Yes. Yes it is." said Naruto as Anko wondered what he could mean. Anko then froze when she heard a voice she hadn't heard in several years.

"Kukukuku. Anko-chan.. I see you are well." came the calm voice of Orochimaru standing behind Anko. Anko turned slowly toward his voice to see the Snake Sannin staring at her with his golden slit eyes. Anko stared at Orochimaru for close to 30 seconds before her expression turned to one of rage. Anko attempted to move but found that she couldn't at all.. nor could she breath.

Orochimaru then vanished as she found herself in a ball of water and back to reality.

"Anko Mitarashi of Konoha. Eliminated due to inability to fight. Winner of the first match, Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure." said Kitsuchi as the audience cheered loudly at that announcement. The water prison around Anko dispelled as Anko sat on the ground wet and confused.

**"Utakata (Ephermal)" **said Naruto as Anko blinked at his word to notice him standing above her.

"What happened?" questioned Anko before seeing Naruto hold a hand out to let her up. "When did you use that second Genjutsu? It was so real and I didn't even feel my chakra get disrupted."

Helping Anko to her feet, Naruto decided to explain. "Remember when I pointed my finger at you?" said Naruto as he and Anko were walking out of the arena to allow them to prep for Match 2. "That's when I used the second Genjutsu...and as far as feeling your chakra disrupt. You were never out of the first one."

Anko's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. You can double layer Genjutsu like that?." said Anko as Naruto nodded his head. Naruto and Anko entered the tunnel into the stadium before she pressed the white-haired ninja into the wall. The two stayed like that for a minute, just looking at each other, before Naruto decided to speak seeing that Anko hadn't.

"What are you doing?" questioned Naruto as Anko just grinned at him before that lustful look from before the exams started returned to her pretty face.

"You could have easily turned into water just now. You still can." said Anko as she continued to smile. "You know what this is."

"And if I didn't. Would you show me?" questioned Naruto as Anko brought her face close to his.

"Yes. I will. Maybe in a few years though." said Anko, letting Naruto's shirt go before backing up. "Find me in a few years and I'll be sure to give you a demonstration."

Anko then turned around to walk away from the excited young, almost 11 years old Hozuki clan member.

"Wow." said Naruto who despite his young age knew exactly who girls were and what they meant to boys. "I will make sure you're the first to show me, Anko-chan."

Anko just flashed Naruto another smile before vanishing around the corner. Naruto then dusted himself off before heading up to the Finalist box.

* * *

_(Hokage Box)_

"Well. That was impressive." came the calm voice of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Naruto Hozuki. Seems Kiri has found a gem."

"So it seems. But he did get lucky against the Konoha girl though. I believe she could have won if it wasn't for his skill in Genjutsu. She'll probably given the go ahead to become a Chunin despite losing. Her Taijutsu...fierce." came the reply of the bulky Raikage before looking over at Onoki's face. "And wasn't that your granddaughter being the first to get eliminated? Don't tell me Iwa isn't going to win its home Chunin Exam"

Onoki just sat with a poker face on as Kitsuchi was getting ready to announce the second match. _"She didn't even get to show her skills off due to that mist either. Granted she fought against those clones but they're just clones. The other girl got the Hozuki boy and could at least show off some form of Chunin aptitude. Damn it. Let's hope Akatsuchi can do better." _thought Onoki before adding. _"But then again. There's always Han. He will win no matter what. No Genin can take on a Jinchuriki." _

"You may laugh now Raikage. But we shall see who has the last laugh." said Onoki slightly agitated due to his granddaughter's performance, well lack there of.

Situated just above the Hokage box was a man with spiky white hair that flowed down his back. The man also had two bangs of his white hair framing either side of his face with two red lines drawn from his eyes to his chin. On the man's head was a horned forehead protector that displayed kanji for the word Oil. Many in the world feared this man as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya of the Sannin. But now, he was just a curious man looking at the last fight.

"Naruto." said Jiraiya having watched him win the last fight. "Can you really be _her_ son?"

Deciding to find out more about the Kiri ninja when the next match started, Jiraiya pulled out a telescope before turning around and looking out over the village. Giggling perversely to himself when he found a hot spring, Jiraiya grew content with his view just as Kitsuchi's voice sounded out.

(Arena Floor)

"Match Two of the Chunin Exam Finals. Ameyuri Ringo of Kirigakure. Akatsuchi from Iwagakure." started Kitsuchi as again he heard loud cheers from the audience at an Iwa ninja's name.

_"Damn. Need to start saying Iwa last." _thought Kitsuchi before pointing to the last fighter.

"And Itachi Uchiha from Konohagakure. Are all the fighters ready?" questioned Kitsuchi as the three nodded. "Hajime!"

Unlike the last fight when no one moved at the word Hajime, this match proved was different in that aspect.

**"Raiton: Bakurai (Lightning Style: Depth Charge)" **said Ameyuri as she vanished due to her body being enveloped by lightning. The lightning then separated into two off the Kunoichi as they headed directly for Itachi and Akatsuchi.

_"Thank you Pretty Boy for the idea." _thought Ameyuri having developed the jutsu based off Naruto's dragon one. The bolts of lightning reached their targets as Itachi merely jumped out-of-the-way while Akatsuchi put his hands in the snake seal.

**"Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Style: Mud Wall)" **said Akatsuchi as from the ground beneath him, a thick wall rose to block the lightning technique. The lightning bolt tore into the wall, crumbling it, but Akatsuchi was left unharmed.

Ameyuri then took both swords of her back before using them to block several shuriken tossed at her. Hearing the clang of the last kunai, Ameyuri lowered her sword to look at the culprit behind the tossed metal. That proved not wise as it was Itachi who threw them and he gave her Sharingan enhanced gaze back.

_**"Genjutsu: Sharingan" **_thought Itachi as Ameyuri froze from just looking at his eyes. In Ameyuri's mind, Ameyuri became trapped on an empty plane before noticing that her body was paper-like. Looking out in front of her, Ameyuri saw Itachi standing there just as a bit of smoke rose in front of her. Ameyuri looked down to see her burning due to a fire starting from her feet to her head.

_"Genjutsu. He can use it with his eyes." _thought Ameyuri before closing her own eyes. _"Glad Pretty Boy is my teammate." _

_(Finalist Box)_

"There you are dude. Where have you been?" came the voice of Naruto's teammate, Chojuro, as Naruto walked into the Finalist Box. Naruto noticed his friend as he walked up next to him.

"What do you mean yo?" questioned Naruto looking out at the fight to see it already started. "Oh my. That took longer than expected."

"What took longer than expected?" questioned Chojuro as Naruto looked at him. Walking behind Chojuro, unseen by the blue haired Kiri swordsman, was Anko smiling at Naruto. Naruto let a small smile grace his face in return as Anko continued walking to stand next to Shisui.

_"Yeah...she'll definitely be first." _thought Naruto before focusing on his teammate and just waving it off. Naruto then turned to see Ameyuri frozen in a Genjutsu while Itachi and the Iwa boy, Akatsuchi, were fighting _"Come one Ame-chan. Break that Genjutsu." _

Naruto smiled to himself seeing Ameyuri struggling slightly to move before he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Naruto jumped slightly having not felt the hand nor the person arrive. Naruto vanished just as the hand touched him.

"Whoa. Where the hell did Naruto go?" questioned Chojuro, garnering Shisui's attention. "Did you see anything?"

Shisui shook his head before turning his Sharingan eyes back to the fight below. "No. Nothing." said Shisui. Chojuro looked around for a bit before just shrugging his shoulders and looking back at the fight as well. While that happened, Naruto found himself standing on top of the Arena with that same hand on his shoulder. Turning around to see the person smiling at him, Naruto's eyes widened recognizing the person.

"Naruto huh?" questioned the voice from the man. "Not to interrupt your watching the exam but I have to know... how did you get that name?"

"You're Jiraiya of the Sannin.."

_(Arena Floor)_

"YES!" shouted Ameyuri, finally appearing back in reality from Itachi's earlier Genjutsu. Ameyuri then took in her surroundings to see the large Iwa boy attacking the easily dodging Itachi. "Damn. He is good."

Sprinting toward the two, Ameyuri attempted to surprise them. At the same time as Ameyuri's sprint, Itachi jumped back to dodge a rock coated fist from Akatsuchi. Akatsuchi had morphed rock to surround his hands as to add an edge to his Taijutsu but it proved useless due to Itachi's Sharingan predicting his every movement.

However, the large boy was relentless and decided to continue to catch the Uchiha off guard somehow. Akatsuchi raised his fist from the ground to punch Itachi into next week. Upon lifting it though, he noticed the stoic Uchiha holding the tiger seal.

**"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique)" **said Itachi before blowing out a large torrent of flames right in Akatsuchi's face. Crossing his rock arms in a defense, the powerful fire technique blasted Akatsuchi away from the Uchiha as he went sailing in the air backwards. Ameyuri noticed the Iwa boy heading toward her and smiled before jumping in the way of his backward movement. Ameyuri placed a hand on the back of the Large boy, stopping him in midair as the two fell down.

**"Raiton: Kaminari Keimusho (Lightning Style: Lightning Prison)" **said Ameyuri as lightning sparked around the large Iwa boy. Akatsuchi jolted several times from the lightning coursing through his body as he became paralyzed by the surge. Ameyuri then looked over at Kitsuchi who nodded back at the Kiri kunoichi.

"Akatsuchi of Iwagakure. Eliminated." said Kitsuchi. Ameyuri then sprinted toward Itachi as medics arrived to carry the unconscious shinobi out of the arena. During Ameyuri's sprint, she was careful to not look at his eyes again. Ameyuri swiped out with one of her swords, only to cut through air. Opening her eyes, Ameyuri now felt a hand on the back of her shoulder.

_"Shit. I heard him jump too late." _thought Ameyuri as she could feel Itachi grip her.

"It's over." said Itachi floating in the air above Ameyuri with a hand on her shoulder. Itachi flipped fully over Ameyuri before using that momentum to flip Ameyuri above his head. **"Hayanie (Early Sacrifice)" **

Ameyuri saw nothing but the sky revolve really fast around her before she met black. The last thing Ameyuri heard was Kitsuchi's voice sound out.

"Winner of the second match. Itachi Uchiha of Konoha." said Kitsuchi as Ameyuri fell asleep to hear cheers ring out at the end of match two.

* * *

_(Kage Box)_

"Wow. I see the Uchiha clan hasn't slacked in shelling out prodigies." said Onoki as Hiruzen smiled to himself at that.

"Yes. So it seems." said Hiruzen with a grin on his face. "The first two matches have shown very skilled Genin. Though the second match ended earlier than the first, you can still see the potential of the two victors. And even the ones whom were eliminated."

Ay nodded his head. "So it seems. Though we haven't seen one of my shinobi yet. I do hope they impress as much as the two winners have." said Ay as Hiruzen nodded his head.

"I'm sure they will Raikage-dono." said Hiruzen looking at the bulky Kage. "I heard about the first task and second task of this Chunin Exam. That Kitsuchi is some proctor."

"Indeed he is. He is your son isn't he?" questioned Ay as Onoki nodded his head. "Well you're two Genin suck but that Kitsuchi is a great ninja. He certainly weeded out all the bad apples to leave only the good ninjas left for this Final."

"Yes he did." said Onoki with a small smile despite the attack on his Genin. "Let's hope the rest of these fights are just as good."

"Yes Let's." replied the other Kages before turning their attention back to the Arena.

_(Naruto and Jiraiya - Top of the Arena)_

"So you really are her son?" questioned Jiraiya as Naruto nodded his head, still starstruck at speaking to Jiraiya. "Can you prove it?"

Naruto blanched slightly at that before realizing something. Running a hand over the seal on his arm, the pure white blade of Kushina's sword appeared in his hand.

"This is my kaa-chan's sword. I could only gain access to it by getting to level four in Fuinjutsu." said Naruto before pulling a scroll out of his ninja pouch. Naruto opened the scroll as a seal appeared. A poof of smoke later and Naruto was holding a book that Jiraiya hadn't seen in a long time.

"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. Written by Jiraiya the Toad sage." said Jiraiya with a smile that Naruto reciprocated.

"I got my name from this book. Naruto is the main character." said Naruto as Jiraiya nodded his head. "And I even cut my hair to look like yours...though I didn't know you had a ponytail from this picture."

Naruto looked down at the picture of Jiraiya on the book as the Toad Sage just continued to look at the boy who shared his many of his mother's features.

_"It seems that old Toad may have been right with that new prophecy. A boy made of spiraling water will lead the world into peace." _thought Jiraiya looking at Naruto pull on the back of his hair in trying to see if he could turn it into a ponytail. _"I seem blessed by Kami. To lose Minato, whom I thought was the Child of Prophecy before, and to now find Kushina's son. The same Kushina who was the only person besides Minato to actually read my first book and like it. And now her son is before me. Maybe this is fate?"_

"Well! Do I have something for you then." exclaimed Jiraiya before sitting down in front of Naruto, beckoning him to do the same. "It's a tale about your mother, Kushina Uzumaki... **Uzu's Benihime (Whirlpool's Crimson Princess).** But I'll only tell you if you promise me one thing."

Naruto's eyes widened happily ready to hear about the mother he never met. Hearing Jiraiya's next words, Naruto looked at him with a shocked expression.

"You tell me about what the Akatsuki asked of you." said Jiraiya with a very serious face.

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Review!**

**-Hamp Out**


	7. Finals II

**Yo! Chapter Seven. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Naruto may have ended...but Fanfiction is forever! *Cue Fireworks*

* * *

**Chapter 7: Finals II**

"So that's what they asked of you huh." said Jiraiya as Naruto nodded his head. "They want to offer you their services in helping you bring peace to Kirigakure for your return service in their organization."

"That's what Orochimaru and Sasori said when they confronted me." said Naruto before adding. "They threatened to hurt two people very dear to me as well if I ever told anyone."

Jiraiya nodded at that. "So why so trustworthy of me? Why tell me despite those consequences?" said Jiraiya. "And two more things, how do you know I'm not one of them in disguise and why do they want you particularly? You don't seem like a powerhouse shinobi to me. Akatsuki is S-rank only, why do they want a toddler?"

Naruto disregarded the jab at his age. "Because my mother trusts you. She wrote all about you in the seal book she left for me." said Naruto before adding. "And I'm a very good sensor, you're definitely not one of them because your chakra levels surpass Orochimaru's and Sasori's. Plus I know they aren't around to even know about us meeting. You made sure of that it seems. And why they would want me...I guess you'll find out in the exams. If I get pushed that far."

"I'll find out?" questioned Jiraiya as Naruto just smiled. "You've been hiding your true skills? I thought that Mist you made was too light. Normally it's so thick you can barely see through it at all. Why hide your skills?"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya before pointing toward him. "Why do you hide your skills?" questioned Naruto as Jiraiya smiled at that. "Information is powerful and the more people who believe you a terrible ninja, the more vulnerable they are when facing them. Many still believe you're the worst of the Sannin. But from what my Kaa-chan said, you could probably beat the Hokage."

"Heh. You're pretty smart kid." said Jiraiya in return to the kid's statement. Naruto just shrugged at that.

"I try. So now you know about the Akatsuki thing. What should I do?" questioned Naruto as Jiraiya put a hand to his chin in thought. "I told you because I thought you could help me. Can You?"

"Hmmm. I say do nothing." said Jiraiya after a few seconds as Naruto's eyebrows raised in surprise. "There's nothing you can do. Though I may have a way that we could take them down if you're up to it. I'll tell you in the future though when you're older. For now, do nothing. Don't accept their offer, just continue about life and I'll be sure to help in any way I can. Anything for Kushina's child."

"Oh!" exclaimed Naruto before looking at Jiraiya.

"Oh right. The tale about your mother." said Jiraiya as Naruto listened intently. "I was your mother's first sensei."

Naruto's mouth formed an 'O' at that. "You taught my kaa-chan? Really?" questioned Naruto as Jiraiya nodded his head with a smile.

"Yes indeed. Konoha allied with Uzu back in the day and to show good faith, our Hokage sent me to train a group of select students. Your mother being one." said Jiraiya as he pulled out a picture. The picture showed a young red-head girl holding up the same sword that was now in Naruto's possession. "That's your mom. And that's the sword I bought for her upon her becoming a Genin and being my only passing student. I'm sure you've noticed how special the sword is."

Naruto nodded his head before grabbing the picture of his mom and holding it in front of him. "Kaa-chan's pretty. And her hair is beautiful." said Naruto as Jiraiya smiled at that. Kushina was always nervous about her hair even though it looked the same as 95% of her clan. "And yeah, the sword is special. It feels like it's..like it's-"

"Attached to your soul?" questioned Jiraiya as Naruto nodded his head.

"Exactly. Is that why it grows as I grow?" questioned Naruto as Jiraiya nodded his head.

"That sword got crafted in **Tetsu no Kuni (Iron Country)" **said Jiraiya before adding. "The blacksmith who crafted the sword said it was one of kind, just like the Head Samurai's, in that it'll respond to the will of its wielder. It has Kushina's DNA in it meaning it'll only respond to her or those who possess her DNA, like her children."

"That's amazing." said Naruto with a smile before beckoning Jiraiya with a question. "Can you tell me a story about my mom?"

"Of course kid. But don't you want to watch the next match? Maybe scout your opponent. You'll be facing the winner of this next one." said Jiraiya as Naruto shook his head no.

"I want to cheer for my teammates but learning about my mother, they'll understand. Plus, I already have information on the best Genin among us. Don't worry, I have this Exam in the bag." said Naruto with a very confident aura that Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at.

_"Kid definitely has Kushina-chan's personality." _thought Jiraiya before getting comfortable for his recollection of his time spent with Kushina.

* * *

_(Kage Box)_

"It seems Kumo is finally up." came the voice of the shortest Kage, Onoki, as he sat in between the Raikage and Hokage. "Finally get to see what a Kumo Genin can do."

"Yes indeed. Though I wonder how two of my shinobi became pitted against one another in the first round." said the Raikage, Ay, as he looked at Onoki. "It doesn't seem fair in all honesty, especially considering it didn't happen to one of you."

Onoki just shrugged his shoulders at that. "I didn't come up with this exam and from what Kitsuchi said, they picked the numbers randomly from a hat." said Onoki before looking out of the corner of his eye at Ay. "That's just the way the cookie crumbles I'm afraid."

"Is that so Tsuchikage-dono. Cause it could be reasoned that it was placed like that to keep all of my Genin from advancing." said the Raikage as Onoki merely snorted at that. "They're better than your run of the mill Genin. Both were eliminated first in their matches if I recall."

Onoki looked back at Ay who simply smiled before turning back toward the Arena floor with a triumphant smirk.

The Hokage noticed the conversation between the two and could feel the tension building. _"It seems all this talking from earlier does not change that we are not far enough out of the Third World War. We may act amicable to one another but one sign of aggression and it seems all bets could be off. Let's hope this Final goes smoothly." _

"It seems the match is starting." said Hiruzen as Kitsuchi's voice sounded out loudly in the arena.

_(Arena Floor)_

"Match Three of the Chunin Exam Finals." said Kitsuchi before pointing his hand to each contestant as he said their names. "Omoi from Kumogakure. Chojuro from Kirigakure. Samui from Kumogakure. Are you all ready?"

A quick nod from the Kumogakure Genin and a shaky one from the Kirigakure Genin was all Kitsuchi needed before he swung his hand down.

"Hajime."

Continuing the trend of each match being different, this match started off with the three pulling out their swords and staring at one another. Chojuro then felt his anxiety build up when Omoi and Samui both looked at him.

_"Naruto said this would happen." _thought Chojuro as Samui and Omoi begin to stalk toward him in a way that put them on either side of him. _"Why didn't I learn how to do the **Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)? **That would really help now." _

Chojuro gripped his sword a little tighter just as Samui and Omoi headed toward him. Chojuro's broad sword blocked Omoi's sword slash and a quickly whipped out Kunai blocked Samui's tanto strike. The three began a struggle for dominance that surprised many to see Chojuro actually winning.

_"Damn. Dude's strong." _thought Omoi receiving the worst of it due to getting the heavy broad sword and not a Kunai. Omoi then disengaged from Chojuro as his heavy sword landed in the ground with a thud. Chojuro then looked toward Samui who noticed Omoi back off.

_"He's going to swing that thing at me. I have to stop him." _thought Samui before channeling chakra into her tanto. Samui's guess proved right as Chojuro slugged his sword right around to the other side that Samui was on in an effort to cleave her in two. Samui pressed harder into Chojuro's kunai, surprising him that she didn't try to jump out-of-the-way even though she'd still be hit by the large sword.

Samui's tanto burst with lightning chakra as it ripped through Chojuro's kunai with ease before she shoved her tanto easily into Chojuro's shoulder, the same shoulder of the arm that was swinging his sword.

CHojuro felt the paralyzing effect of the lightning sword in his shoulder as his sword stopped moving because of it. Samui grew relieved internally at catching Chojuro before noticing his other arm was coming at her with a fist. Chojuro's fist hit Samui's chest as it sent the Kumo girl skidding backwards from the powerful strike, taking her tanto with her and out of Chojuro's shoulder.

_"Wow. That looked like it hurt." _thought Omoi seeing Chojuro hold the cauterised wound in his shoulder and Samui hold her chest. _"A sword puncture is a sword puncture. But a punch to the chest. Ouch. Maybe if Samui had bigger breast. They could have repelled the punch and she'd be safe. And-"_

Karui's loud voice from the Finalist Box cut off Omoi's thought process as he snapped back to the fight.

"OMOI! STOP THINKING AND START FIGHTING!" shouted Karui as Omoi snapped out of his thoughts. Omoi nodded his head before cocking his sword back like a baseball bat and running behind. Chojuro heard Karui and without turning around, just simply picked his broad sword up to cover his side.

**"Kumo-Ryu Mikazukagiri (Cloud Style Crescent Moon Beheading)" **said Omoi as he swung his sword in an arc toward Chojuro. A crescent moon arc formed in front of Omoi that hit Chojuro's sword mid swing and sent him head over heels sideways several feet before skidding to a stop near the water. Chojuro stood up quickly only to notice both Samui and Omoi heading back to him once again.

_"I can't step back into the water because she'll likely just shock me if I do." _thought Chojuro going through a few hand seals as Samui and Omoi got closer. _"This sucks. I can at least take out one of them though."_

Samui and Omoi lunged at Chojuro again as this time Chojuro blocked Samui's tanto with his broad sword while dodging Omoi's sword strike. Omoi continued though until Chojuro grabbed his arm over his sleeve. Samui noticed that in Chojuro's attempt at blocking both of them again, his foot slid into the river below. Samui just smiled before backing up and running through 4 hand seals, ending in the ram seal.

**"Raiton: Pansa (Lightning Style: Panther)" **said Samui as from her hands sparked with lightning before it turned into the shape of a panther and jumped into the water. Chojuro just smiled as his own technique took hold.

**"Suiton: Suiro no jutsu (Water Style: Water Prison Technique)" **said Chojuro as Samui looked over to see Omoi trapped in a ball of water with Chojuro's hand connected inside. So engrossed with Chojuro's foot in the water, she didn't even realize her teammate was getting surrounded by the dense ball of water. Samui just watched as the lightning panther made contact with the water and the lightning surged up the water into Chojuro and then into the ball of water Omoi was in, shocking him as well.

A few seconds later, Chojuro's water ball dispersed as Omoi laid flat on the ground soaking wet and unconscious. Chojuro just smiled right before passing out as well. Samui stood there alone as Kitsuchi just nodded his head at the results.

"Due to Double elimination. Winner of Match 3, Samui of Kumogakure." said Kitsuchi as the Audience cheered at how she eliminated two opponents at once not realizing it was a mistake on her part. Nonetheless, Samui just gave a small smile before exiting the Arena back to the Finalist box. Several medics came later to scoop up the other finalists before the start of the fourth match.

* * *

_(Kage Box)_

"That boy. Knew he was going to lose no matter what and still managed to take one out with him." said Ay growing more and more impressed with the Kiri Genin Team, despite two of them losing already. "Kiri. Konoha. Kumo. Seems Iwa doesn't have anyone advance yet."

Onoki looked toward the bulky Kage as he said nothing at the large man's statement. _"We'll see how much you talk when Han fights. Then you'll see and everyone in the nations will know Iwa is top among the Five Great Villages." _thought Onoki before turning his head back toward the fights below.

_"Kumogakure and Iwagakure allied in the last war and yet their Kages are bickering at the moment." _thought Hiruzen feeling slightly awkward in the Kage box now. _"I'll just keep quiet for now. It's not worth attempting to mediate this quarrel." _

Onoki then shifted his eyes over to the stoic Hiruzen. _"It seems he's become quiet due to me and Ay at the moment." _thought Onoki before looking down at the Arena Floor seeing Han land in the floor. _"And with that other Uchiha boy in there. Han is certain to severely hurt him and the Kumo girl. This should be fun." _

_(Finalist Box)_

Samui returned to the Finalist Box as she looked around not noticing Naruto in the room.

_"Where did he go?" _questioned Samui in her head. Ameyuri shared that same sentiment having been looking for her teammate for the past few minutes since regaining consciousness.

_"Is Pretty Boy in trouble?" _questioned Ameyuri in her head as she looked around the Arena if he may have noticed someone in the stands. _"He wouldn't just leave like that would he? Plus I'm sure he'd want to see the other matches. Where could he be?"_

Ameyuri didn't have time to look around anymore before hearing Kitsuchi's voice and focusing on the next match despite no longer being in the exams.

* * *

_(Arena Floor)_

"Match Four of the Chunin Exam Finals." said Kitsuchi taking heed at announcing Iwa last. "Shisui Uchiha from Konohagakure. Karui from Kumogakure. And Han from Iwagakure."

Cheers rang out again from the crowd at another Genin from their host village being announced. In the momentary cheer, Kitsuchi received word from the three competitors that they were ready. Swinging his hand down, Kitsuchi began the match.

"Hajime!" said Kitsuchi, backing up giving the Genin room. Shisui flashed his Sharingan as he vanished in a Shunshin toward the red-head from Kumogakure. Shisui appeared next to the still Kunoichi as he whipped out a kunai aimed for her arm. Karui, however, was ready for the quick movement already unsheathing her sword to block the kunai.

Sparks flew from the metal clashing with metal as the two struggled for dominance. Karui used both hands against Shisui's kunai only for the Uchiha to drag his kunai down Karui's sword. Sparks fluttered in front of the two as it distracted Karui. In that distraction, Shisui vanished in another Shunshin just as the large Iwa boy rocketed toward Karui.

Karui jumped out-of-the-way of the large boy as he sped past her before skidding to a stop and turning around. Steam fluttered off the still quiet boy as Shisui's Sharingan looked at the chakra being emanated by Han.

_"NinTaijutsu User" _thought Shisui as more steam came off Han's back. _"Using Steam ninjutsu to bolster his Taijutsu. And based on his size, I'm sure one punch will be devastating." _

Han looked at Shisui as he prepped another charge. Shisui locked eyes with the large boy as he placed him under a Genjutsu. Seconds later, Shisui jumped slightly as the large boy came speeding at him. Shisui jumped to the side as Han flew past him, kicking up a mighty wind with the speed he was traveling at. Shisui stood back up as he turned to see Karui on him with her sword.

Dodging two overhead strikes from the Kumo Kunoichi. The two then separated from one another as Han came back flying pass them even faster than before. Shisui had enough of the large Iwa boy and went through several hand seals for his next charge. Even more steam floated from Han's back as he turned sharply and flew back toward Shisui. Shisui's Sharingan picked up the movement easily as his chest puffed up.

**"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu)" **said Shisui as he expelled a volley of small fireballs at the speeding Iwa boy. Due to the boy's speed, the fireballs hit him quickly as he shoulder bumped the Uchiha boy. Shisui went flying due to the shoulder hit and went careening, luckily, into the water basin rather than the stony arena floor.

Han stopped moving forward as the pain from Shisui's jutsu hit him hard, especially due to the shuriken hidden within the fireballs. Han screamed loudly as he began to pick the several hot shuriken out of his body before tossing them down. Pulling the last Kunai out of his body, Han turned to see Karui right on him with her sword closing in on his chest.

Han was faster though as he gripped Karui's sword with his large hand. Karui grew surprised at him holding her sword as blood seeped from his hand. A huge burst of steam blew from Han's back as Karui felt the air around her heat up as if she was in a sauna.

_**"Futton: Kairiki Muso (Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength)" **_thought Han as Karui had no time to react to the punch that planted itself into her stomach. Spit flew from Karui's mouth as she went careening into the wall, leaving a Karui-sized crack in it. Karui was out cold the moment she hit the wall.

"Karui of Kumogakure. Eliminated." said Kitsuchi as Han turned to see Shisui standing up from the stream of water that ran through the arena. Steam fluttered from Han's back again as he stared down the Uchiha.

_"His chakra levels are monstrous. The chakra coming out of that steam on his back is incredible." _thought Shisui before placing his hands in the ram seal. _"If this works, thank you Naruto Hozuki." _

_**"Magen: Niju Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings Technique)" **_thought Shisui utilizing the jutsu he copied from Naruto. The same Genjutsu he used against Anko to win his match. Shisui smiled to himself feeling Han release himself from the first layer of the Genjutsu, but not the second. Shisui then watched as Han sped and crashed directly into the wall four feet from him with a thundering boom. The entire arena shook at the force of Han hitting the wall before Shisui ran through several hand seals with practiced ease as he jumped directly in front of where Han landed.

**"Katon: Nigokakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Double Grand Fireball Technique)" **said Shisui before expelling out a large fireball that an equally as big fireball followed behind it. The first fireball smashed into Han in the wall before the next one smashed into the first fireball as they exploded on contact. Fire covered the side of the wall that Han was in as Shisui stared at the blazing fire with his Sharingan active.

Shisui's eyes widened as Han came stepping out of the fire with large burn marks on his body that didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. Steam burst again from Han's back as he readied to attack Shisui once more.

"Heh. I'm out of chakra." said Shisui as he raised his hand. "I give up."

Han was just about ready to rocket toward Shisui before hearing his words. Kitsuchi looked at the forfeiture by the Uchiha boy and while disappointed that he didn't continue fighting, understood the kid's predicament.

_"Kid's not really out of chakra but he realizes that he'll eventually be." _thought Kitsuchi declaring Han the winner as he watched Shisui walk out of the Arena and Han simply jump out. _"If the kid had the chakra, I wonder if he could have gone toe to toe with Han. That Double Fireball would have hurt or even kill lesser shinobi." _

Kitsuchi then looked toward the crowd. "We will have a 30 minute intermission before we begin the semifinals." said Kitsuchi as several Iwa shinobi appeared in the arena to try to fix it before the semifinals began. "The First Match will pit Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure vs Samui of Kumogakure. The Second Match will pit Itachi Uchiha of Konoha vs Han of Iwagakure. Until that time."

_(Kage Box)_

_"A Jinchuriki. He placed a Jinchuriki in the exams." _thought Ay turning an eye to Onoki. _"I guess I should have known. The hosting village normally posts a Jinchuriki if possible to make sure victory. You are a sneaky one Old Fence Sitter." _

"Han is quite strong." said Onoki with a small smirk as Ay just looked at him and Hiruzen kept his eyes straight ahead. "That Uchiha boy is smart unlike that girl from Kumo, bull-headed in the face of someone stronger than them."

Ay looked ready to kill but toned it down considerably as he kept in mind the ceasefire that occurred during these events.

Hiruzen grew tired of the tension and attempted to defuse it with some lighter talk like earlier. "It seems each village has a semifinalist." said Hiruzen as Onoki and Ay nodded at his words. Neither of the Kage responded to Hiruzen as he realized no more nice words would be minced between them anymore.

_"Well. Maybe next Chunin Exam." _thought Hiruzen as he turned his head to the Arena floor. The Kages sat in silence as they awaited the semifinals.

* * *

_(Finalist Box)_

"Pretty Boy! There you are. Where have you been?" questioned Ameyuri loudly as she noticed her white-haired teammate walk into the Finalist box. After her exclamation, Ameyuri noticed the smile adorning his face. "Why are you so happy?"

Naruto walked up to Ameyuri before whispering in her ear. Ameyuri blushed at Naruto's touch and closeness before smiling at what he said.

"Your Mo-" started Ameyuri only for Naruto's hand to clamp her mouth shut as he made a shushing noise. Naruto noticed Ameyuri calmed down as he let his hand go from her mouth.

"I know right. I'll tell you all about her later." said Naruto with a grin as he then looked around. "Where's Chojuro?"

"Oh. You missed the fights." said Ameyuri as Naruto smiled sheepishly causing Ameyuri to smile. "It's okay. After your match, Itachi from Konoha handedly defeated me and the other Iwa guy. It wasn't even fair, dude is too good. Chojuro fought in the third match and got tag-teamed. He ended up taking out the Kumo boy with him, letting the Samui girl win Match 3. And finally, that Han guy just wouldn't go down and won Match 4 with overwhelming power..and steam."

Naruto nodded his head at that. "So how much time til I fight again?" questioned Naruto as Ameyuri looked at her wrist as if she had a watch on.

"About 25 minutes." said Ameyuri as Naruto chuckled at his teammate.

"Let's go check on Chojuro." said Naruto as the two of them walked out of the Finalist Box down to the medical Bay. Ameyuri talked with Naruto all the way as they went to go see there teammate.

_(Audience)_

"What do you mean Han won't win!" shouted a random guy standing outside a booth. That booth was a betting booth as several others were attempting to place their own bets for the finals. "Did you not see how he just shrugged off those fireballs? No other Genin can compete with that."

"Yeah right. That Uchiha boy was beating him and he'll be facing another Uchiha boy." said the guy he was arguing with as he placed his bet on Itachi Uchiha. "He can get pass one Uchiha, but to get pass a second...I don't believe it."

"You're crazy! Han's odds are 5:1 in this event. The next closest to him is the Uchiha boy at 15:1." said the man placing his bet on Han. The man then placed a bet on the Kumo girl as the same man looked at him like he was crazy. "What? You always bet on odds. That Kiri kid hasn't done anything to impress me. That Kumo Girl took out two shinobi with one move."

"You just don't know anything about these fights do you. The Kiri kid was clearly holding back his skills for the fights ahead." said the Man placing a large bet on Naruto. "And since he's the underdog for some reason, I'll be looking at a fat payday when this is all said and done."

Watching that entire argument was a woman in her late twenties. She wore a large trench coat that covered her body with sunglasses and a scarf on her head. A black haired woman standing beside her with a pig in her hands whispered into the woman's ear.

"Tsunade-sama. Don't gamble on this. You know your luck with these kinds of events." said the black haired woman as the lady just looked at her.

"Shizune. I know what I'm doing." whispered the woman back before she began to walk up to the nearest betting booth with Shizune in tow. "Han is 3:1 to win the whole thing. And he's a Jinchuriki. No Genin beats a Jinchuriki."

Shizune grew shocked at that announcement before noticing a toad out of the corner of her eye. Shizune saw the toad with piece of paper on his head that simply showed a spiral.

"Tsunade-sama. Look." whispered Shizune just as Tsunade placed down her bet of $100,000 Ryo. Tsunade glanced over at the small animal as her own eyes widened behind her sunglasses.

"Ma'am. Who are you betting on?" questioned a man as he tried to get the woman's attention. Tsunade watched the toad dispel in a poof of smoke as she then noticed the man snapping in front of her. "Thank you. Who are you placing this bet on."

_"You better be right pervert. If not, I'll castrate you." _thought Tsunade before speaking. "Naruto Hozuki from Kirigakure."

The man nodded his head before printing out a stub. "And here you are. 40:1 odds on Naruto Hozuki from Kirigakure winning it all."

Tsunade grimaced at the odds but knew that if Jiraiya was wrong, he'd definitely pay her back. Either with money or in some other fashion.

_(Outside the Arena)_

Standing just outside of the Arena that held the Chunin Exams was a man with a mask on his face. This was the same Masked Man whom spoke with Yagura about Naruto. Standing beside the Masked man was the plant-like man, Zetsu.

"It seems Naruto hasn't fully gone all out." said the Masked Man as Zetsu nodded.

"Of course not. I wonder when he will though." said Zetsu before adding. "The only time he's fully shown his skills is when facing Mangetsu or his teammates."

The Masked Man nodded his head. "Indeed. Pain seems to not believe in my choice of him. Even when viewing your recordings of his training." said the Masked Man before a red glow fluttered pass his eye hole. "But I have faith that he'll surprise me further in this exam."

"How do you think he could surprise you more?" questioned Zetsu as the Masked Man grinned behind his mask.

"In due time." said the Masked Man as he began to disappear in a vortex. "In due time."

* * *

**And That's A Wrap**

**Review peeps or send me a pm.**

**-Hamp Out**


	8. Finals III

**Yo. Chapter Eight. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. And pigs can fly. One of those two statements are false. Don't think too hard now, I've seen pigs get on airplanes one time so they can fly. And the first statement is not false...it's just sad and the cause of 99% of my depression.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Finals III**

Blonde hair and stoic, cerulean blue eyes stared at white hair and violet eyes that matched the eye contact. It was time for the Semifinals to start and Naruto stood on the arena floor opposite the Kumo Genin, Samui. The crowd became excited when Kitsuchi swung his arm down signaling the match to start. Samui immediately rush out at Naruto to ensure he couldn't and wouldn't activate his mist and disappear on her.

Samui pulled out her tanto as she lunged with a forward thrust at Naruto, who merely sidestepped it before counterattacking with an elbow. Samui ducked the elbow before flicking her wrist toward Naruto, sending her Tanto in an arcing motion toward his midsection. It was all for not as Naruto quickly grabbed Samui's hand that held her tanto and stopped it from hitting him.

_"I wonder why he hasn't used his sword yet." _thought Samui before moving her leg in a sweeping motion to trip Naruto. Naruto merely jumped over the foot one leg at a time before landing and spinning with his hand still wrapped around Samui's tanto-wielding one. Naruto pulled the Kumo Kunoichi with the spin as he tossed her away from him. Though Samui didn't go far as she planted her tanto in the ground, stopping her momentum before she landed on the ground and ran back at Naruto.

Samui was still wondering why Naruto didn't pull his sword out but that wouldn't stop her as she held her tanto up ready for a slash at Naruto's body. Naruto mirrored the Kumo kunoichi bringing his arm up as Samui approached him. Samui brought her arm down in a slash as Naruto continued to copy her with no weapon in hand. Samui did notice that Naruto's hand was inverted which if a sword was in his hand, it'd be reversed.

_"I'll cut his arm in half." _thought Samui shocked as her tanto drew closer to the unarmed Naruto. Samui then grew shocked when a sword appeared in Naruto's hand and blocked her tanto.

"Gotta love seals." said Naruto holding his chokuto against Samui's tanto. "You didn't think I'd just leave my sword like that did you?"

Samui just smiled before shifting her tanto back and attacking Naruto with it. Naruto sidestepped another stab before he parried Samui's follow up slash. Samui's guard was left open from the parry as Naruto then went on the offensive. Samui was on her heels as she barely blocked Naruto's three sword strikes before feeling his foot plant itself in her stomach. Samui skidded back slightly feeling the kick to her stomach before standing back up to see Naruto take a Kenjutsu stance she never saw before.

Naruto stood with his sword in a reverse grip, that actually laid against his back in his opening stance. Samui noticed the new stance and figured that's why his hand was reversed earlier, he'd learned a new sword style.

"You got better? In a month?" questioned Samui as Naruto's Kenjutsu seemed to have increased twofold from before. Back during the Second Task, it seemed as if she had the upper hand if it was a pure Kenjutsu fight. Now though, Naruto seemed to clearly have the advantage over her. Especially with the Kenjutsu style he used now. "Were you always that fast?"

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not." said Naruto as he ran back at Samui with his sword still settled in that reverse grip.

_(Kage Box)_

The Three Kages all sat in their viewing box as they watched the Semifinals begin. No comments were made until they noticed the sword that appeared in Naruto's hand, especially how it appeared.

_"He is Kushina's son." _thought Hiruzen, the Hokage, as he watched Naruto settle into a familiar sword style. _"He definitely is. That's her sword, the same seal she used to quickly pull it out on her opponents, and even the reverse sword style she used. He looks like a spitting image of his mother using it."_

Hiruzen wasn't the only one shocked, Onoki felt the same way. Especially considering it was his village in combination with Kumo and a few lesser villages that attempted to eradicate the clan of Fuinjutsu users back in the day.

_"That sword killed a lot of Iwa shinobi. And the boy wields it the same way." _thought Onoki as he started to garner more and more interest in the Kiri boy. _"I'll be watching you more closely, Naruto Hozuki."_

The final reaction of the three Kage was Ay. Ay grew worried for his young Genin as she wouldn't win against Naruto in a pure sword fight if he was at least decent in that sword style.

_"Kushina's reverse grip. If it was a ninjutsu, it'd be S rank." _thought Ay who also realized that Naruto was only ten and likely not as dangerous using it. _"Don't continue fighting him with Kenjutsu Samui, you will lose." _

The three Kage's attention became glued to Naruto as his stock immediately rose with the appearance of one sword and the return of a dangerous Kenjutsu.

_(Arena Floor)_

Samui greatly underestimated how strong Naruto was from their previous encounter. Blocking Naruto's sword strike, Samui felt Naruto's foot impact into her stomach before feeling Naruto cut into her clothing, dangerously close to her skin again.

_"He was holding back this whole time." _thought Samui as Naruto came back at her spinning. Naruto's sword traveled in the spin as Samui blocked each rotating slice before stepping forward and stopping the better swordsman's spinning motion. _"He held back so I'd underestimate him. He's smart." _

Naruto just smiled at Samui realizing she finally would take him seriously. Though it was sort of late as she'd already taken a beating. Continuing his assault, Naruto slid his sword straight down Samui's tanto as sparks fluttered between the two of them. Due to the momentary distraction of the sparks, Samui barely dodged the sword slash that still left a long cut down her right arm from her shoulder to bicep.

Naruto stopped moving as he looked at the blood adorning Samui's arm.

_"I almost could have taken her arm off if she didn't dodge fast enough." _thought Naruto slightly apprehensive at that thought. Samui jolted at the near loss of her entire arm before seeing Naruto standing still. Samui went through a few hand seals quickly just as Naruto came running back at her.

**"Raiton: Pansa (Lightning Style: Panther)" **said Samui as she let loose a discharge of lightning toward Naruto. Naruto saw the attack coming and flipped his sword over, slamming it into the ground as he took the brunt of the attack head on. Samui watched Naruto jolt slightly before she backed up from the Hozuki clan member.

_"He placed his sword in the ground causing the lightning to travel through it and not fully hurt him." _thought Samui as several cuts aligned her body and clothing along with the long one on her shoulder. Samui had slight bruising as Naruto clearly handled her with ease. _"His sword style is so good. I could barely dodge, let alone strike back. I have to make this a Ninjutsu fight. But he's an Hozuki member, I can only use lightning or storm." _

Naruto stopped feeling the lightning course through his body before looking out at Samui. "Nice." said Naruto before settling back in that same reverse grip stance. "I assume you're done with trying Kenjutsu."

Samui didn't answer before coming back at Naruto with her tanto cocked back. Naruto shook his head internally as he readied to counter Samui. Naruto was about to bring his sword up when he noticed Samui build up chakra. Naruto then jumped backwards as he barely dodged a lightning-infused tanto from Samui.

_"She added lightning to her tanto. That poses a problem." _thought Naruto as he continued to barely dodge Samui's lightning tanto. Naruto noticed he was approaching the water and knew it' end bad if he stepped in it. _"I can't get touched by that lightning. I may have an affinity for it but it'll still paralyze me. Damn Hozuki Clan weakness. Guess I'll have to show my own lightning then, I was hoping to save it." _

Samui came at Naruto once more with her tanto as she noticed Naruto bringing his own sword up to block. Assuming she'd just slice through the normal Chokuto, Samui grew surprised again when Naruto's sword sparked with lightning to defend against hers.

"White lightning?!" questioned Samui with unbecoming of her widened eyes at the color of Naruto's lightning. "Do you have a kekkai genkai?"

Naruto just shook his head. "Not at all. Just how my lightning is." said Naruto as he batted Samui's tanto out-of-the-way before flowing through hand seals at a pace too fast for Samui's eyes even with his chokuto still in hand. Samui realized a technique was coming and immediately jumped back to dodge.

**"Raiton: Jibashi (Lighting Style: Electromagnetic Murder)" **White lightning formed around Naruto's hands as that lightning then sparked out and toward the now retreating Samui. The jutsu was fast paced though and increasingly catching her as she went through a few hand seals to counter.

**"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Encampment Wall)" **said Samui as she spewed out a wall of water. The water mixed with the lightning as Samui allowed her jutsu to wash away around her, sending the lightning away from her as well. Naruto now stood nearly 20 feet from the Kumo Kunoichi as she really started to feel outclassed by the Kiri shinobi.

_"It's like he's a totally different person." _thought Samui realizing that Naruto played her perfectly. _"Since my first impression of him was that he was beneath me, now that he's serious, I can't compete with it due to my previous thoughts. It's like a Genjutsu. A mind game since the beginning."_

Naruto had his sensing ability activated so he could feel any fluctuations in Samui's chakra and raised an eyebrow when she began channeling a large amount of chakra.

_"What's she doing?" _thought Naruto seeing Samui flow effortlessly through several hand seals.

_**"Ranton Ogi: Rankiryuu (Storm Style Secret Technique: Demon Dragon Storm)" **_thought Samui as dark clouds began to form from the ground. Naruto watched the clouds float up to the sky before turning his head back down to see Samui still holding the tiger seal.

"Uhm. I'm certain I won't like that." said Naruto as the cloud fully formed over the entire arena, darkening the area considerably. Naruto's sensing ability allowed him to notice that the cloud was slowly absorbing chakra from everyone within its mass area.

_"It'll build up chakra and I'll send that chakra back down here and end this fight." _thought Samui ready to stall for as long as necessary. _"Too bad I'm using my trump card so soon but I don't see a way of beating him." _

Samui then bit her lip enough to draw blood as she immediately dispelled the Genjutsu Naruto placed her in. Naruto frowned internally at that as he thought he'd catch her off guard before being able to end the fight. Naruto then sprinted toward Samui who began to toss kunai at him to keep him at bay. Those kunai barely slowed down Naruto as he brought his sword around and blocked the kunai with ease as he continued toward the Kumo Genin.

Samui backed up to the small river that ran through the arena before bringing her hands up in the ram seal.

**"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Violent Water Wave)" **said Samui as she spewed out a stream of water at Naruto. Naruto would have taken the water head on like before but seeing Samui's hands spark with lightning, immediately dove out-of-the-way of the water jutsu sparked with lightning passing right beside him.

Naruto rolled after dodging to see Samui created more distance between them, heading further down the river.

_"This is not looking good." _thought Naruto realizing that cloud continued to grow and likely would strike him down when ready. Naruto then noticed where Samui was as a plan formed its way into his head. Naruto slid his thumb down his chokuto and jumped atop the river with Samui. Naruto placed a hand down in the water, causing some to overflow onto the land, as his entire body turned into a drop of water.

_"Gotcha." _thought Samui jumping in the air before spinning and placing her tanto in the flowing water. Channeling lightning chakra into the river, a lightning current ran its way through it in effort to hurt Naruto. Samui's plan worked as Naruto body came floating up in the river, only 2 feet from where she once stood.

Samui landed on the ground next to the river as she stared at the motionless body of Naruto. A few seconds passed by as Samui almost let out a relieved sigh but gasped instead when Naruto reverted into water.

_"Mizu Bunshin. Where is he?" _questioned Samui before looking back down the river to see Naruto standing back where he once stood. _"He sent a clone instead. He must have merged with the water that splashed onto the land knowing I would do that. But that whole sequence accomplishes nothing since he's still down there." _

Noticing Naruto's smile, Samui saw a shadow appear at her feet that grew with each passing moment. Samui looked up trying to figure out why there was a shadow to see a large Shark barreling down toward her in one of Naruto's Water Prisons.

Samui just froze at the sight as a flying shark was definitely top ten scariest things to see in life. However, Naruto's shark was 5 feet off target as the water prison dispelled upon contact with the ground and the shark flopped about several feet beyond Samui before dispelling.

_"He missed." _thought Samui surprised by the action before realizing her jutsu was just about ready. _"It's over." _

Samui was in the process of placing her hands in a seal to send the chakra built up down straight into Naruto when she heard lightning spark behind her. Feeling impact comparable to a freight train hit her, a freight train that was covered in lightning, Samui went sailing through the air paralyzed as she skidded across it before coming to a stop.

White lightning sparked all across Samui's body as she could feel her body stiffen up on her. Samui then noticed Naruto's chokuto next to her neck seconds later as she realized she'd been defeated.

"I give up." said Samui as Kitsuchi nodded at that.

"Winner of Match 5 and advancing to the Finals, Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure." said Kitsuchi as the crowd erupted into applause at the display put on by the boy from Kirigakure. Samui noticed medics entering the arena as she looked up to see Naruto placing his sword back in its seal.

"How? How did you beat me?" questioned Samui hoping to get the answer before losing consciousness.

"Well... A little bit of luck I'd say." said Naruto with a smile as he retold the events that occurred from his perspective.

_(Flashback - With Naruto)_

Naruto slid his thumb across his chokuto before he jumped atop the water and placed his hand down into it. Due to the force of Naruto putting his hand down, water splashed up and out of the river as Naruto turned into a drop of water. Naruto then reformed out of the water on the side to see Samui acrobatically jump while forcefully putting chakra into the water.

_"Figured she'd do something like that." _thought Naruto having created a clone to take his place down there to fool Samui. _"Hope this plan works." _

Naruto placed his hand on the ground as in a poof of smoke, a shark appeared as Naruto formed a water prison around it. Naruto then created another clone as he fused with the water prison and caused the shark to jump up after Samui. Landing just perfectly behind Samui, Naruto reformed once more as Samui had her back to him and was totally not ready for what was to come.

Flashing through hand seals once again, lightning outlined Naruto's body as it took on a dragon's shape. _**"Raiton: Raikoryu (Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon)" **_thought Naruto as the red-eyes glowed from the dragon and Naruto took off and hit Samui dead in her back. Sending her sailing across the river in a paralyzed heap, Naruto ended his jutsu knowing it was over.

Naruto nodded to his water clone, allowing it to dispel as he jumped over to Samui and placed his sword to her neck, effectively ending the fight.

_(Flashback End)_

"Wow. I was completely outclassed." said Samui as she closed her eyes and let a small smile grace her face. "You owe me another fight. I'll get stronger and won't underestimate you like this time."

"Sounds like a plan. See you around Samui-chan. Cheer for me in the Finals." were the last words from Naruto that Samui heard before finally succumbing to unconsciousness."

Kitsuchi watched the medics take away the Kumo girl before staring at the back of Naruto exiting up the tunnel.

_"Kid's going to be a force to be reckoned with given enough time. That white lightning is interesting." _thought Kitsuchi as he looked up to his dad, the Third Tsuchikage. _"I doubt dad would allow that though. But there's no need to worry about this now, kid's got a while before getting stroner. And plus, the second Semifinals is starting." _

* * *

_(Finalist Box)_

Walking into the Finalist box, Naruto was jumped by an excited Ameyuri. Due to the pouncing, Naruto and Ameyuri hit the floor with Ameyuri sprawled out over the Hozuki Clan member.

"Dude! That was awesome! And when did you sign the Shark summoning contract?" questioned Ameyuri as she realized where she was and how it looked with her on top of Naruto. Ameyuri blushed before quickly standing up and straightening out her clothes.

Naruto just stood with a smile. "I got skills Ame-chan." said Naruto before adding. "And as far at the shark thing goes. Fuguki-senpai was my teacher over the break."

Ameyuri's eyes widened along with Chojuro's, who'd walked over seeing Ameyuri attack Naruto.

"Fuguki? Fuguki Suikazan? Samehada wielder Fugki Suikazan?" questioned Chojuro in a hushed voice as Naruto just nodded his head. "Dude. That's just not fair. How do you get Samehada?"

Naruto just gave Chojuro a shrug as he and his teammates walked over to the window in the Finalist Box that showed the arena floor.

"You're so lucky dude." said Chojuro before hearing Ameyuri snort.

"Whatever. When Raiga-senpai gives me the Kibas. I'll kick Pretty Boy's pretty ass." said Ameyuri as Naruto raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

"Is that right?" questioned Naruto as Ameyuri just nodded her head before listing the ways she'd do it. While that was happening, the Konoha Genin all looked at Naruto and his interactions with his team.

Itachi stood in between Anko and Shisui as the latter made his own comments.

"Dude's good Itachi. I see why that Kabuto guy said he's your equal." said Shisui before adding. "Maybe he was messing around beforehand with Anko. Because that fight just now didn't look anywhere close to what he did in the Quarterfinals."

Anko just nodded her head. "Yeah. His Taijutsu in our fight was nowhere near the level he just displayed. And he was already good at Genjutsu and now he's shown good Ninjtusu, Taijutsu, and even Kenjutsu. That Samui girl wasn't a pushover and he made it look easy." said Anko as Itachi nodded his own head before seeing Han jump out and onto the Arena floor.

"Doesn't matter. If I can't beat Han, there's no use in scouting Naruto." said Itachi as Shisui looked out to see the Iwa boy waiting for Itachi.

"Yeah. Hopefully you do better than I did. I couldn't think of a way to put that guy down." said Shisui as Itachi merely walked out of the Finalist Box and down the tunnel to get on with his fight. Shisui then perked up and turned his head noticing Naruto spoke to him.

"You shouldn't feel so bad. The guy's a Jinchuriki." said Naruto as Shisui's eyes widened.

_"A Jinchuriki? Like the little blonde haired kid in our village?" _thought Shisui before looking back out at Han. _"That's why his chakra levels are so high. And why he seemed to walk through everything, dude's a Jinchuriki."_

Shisui then looked back at Naruto, who'd walked up next to him. "Since you know that, why haven't you told anyone?" questioned Shisui as Naruto looked out at Itachi.

"Because of the way you just reacted." said Naruto. "If you knew Han was a Jinchuriki before your fight, would you have even tried to fight him? I doubt it. So without that hindering your fighting abilities, you pretty much bested the guy. You just realized you'd run out of chakra before you could do any serious damage."

"So that's why you didn't tell Itachi?" questioned Shisui as Naruto nodded.

"Maybe Han will beat him. Maybe Itachi will beat Han. Either way, the more times I see either of the two fight, the easier it'll be to face them in the Finals." said Naruto.

_"Guy's not only strong, he's smart too. Who the hell trained this guy?" _thought Shisui taking into account all that he's seen or heard from Naruto. _"It's like he's been trained by a Kage or something. And since he's so unknown, you really don't know what he can do." _

Shisui then heard Kitsuchi's loud voice as he looked down to see the fight about to start.

"By the way. You're welcome." said Shisui to Naruto. Naruto realized Shisui meant the fact that he copied his move of dragging his sword down Samui's tanto just like Shisui did with Karui earlier.

"Thanks. You're welcome as well." said Naruto. Shisui let a grin grace his face as he realized Naruto talked about the Genjutsu he copied from him. The two then turned when Kitsuchi shouted for the match to begin.

_(Arena Floor) _

Steam exploded out the back of Han's furnace as he eyed the Uchiha boy in front of him. Itachi's face was nothing but stoic as he looked at the larger Iwa boy in front of him. Seeing Itachi not move, Han took in an immediate burst of speed at the Uchiha boy in front of him.

Just like Shisui, Itachi's Sharingan predicted the movement, allowing Itachi to easily sidestep the bull rush from Han. Han went flying pass Itachi before coming to a stop and spinning to face him. Upon turning, he was met with a fireball that engulfed him.

**"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique)" **said Itachi holding the tiger seal as he watched his fireball burn Han. Itachi then jumped to the left as Han came flying pass him with another bull rush. Han's body was singed and he had blackened markings on his clothing but otherwise looked fine.

Han then simply ran at Itachi as he readied to engage the stoic Uchiha in Taijutsu. Reaching the Uchiha due to his steam-enhanced speed, Han let loose a flurry of punches. Itachi's Sharingan caught all of the action as he continually jumped backwards out-of-the-way of Han's assault. Han simply continued though as his speed kicked up a notch and Itachi was nearing the arena wall. Han made eye contact with Itachi as a second later, Han planted a large fist into Itachi's stomach that felt surprisingly hard. Hard like concrete.

Due to the pain caused from hitting Itachi, the Genjutsu Han was in broke as he realized he punched a hole into the arena wall rather than Itachi.

_"Genjutsu that fast." _thought Han realizing Itachi caught him in the split second they made eye contact earlier. Han then turned his head to the left to see a dozen shuriken headed for him. Han just turned as the kunai bounced harmlessly off the armor covering his body.

As the kunai bounced off though, Han realized there were little bags on the end that were filled with small pieces of paper. The little bags broke apart hitting Han as the pieces of paper all fluttered all around him. Han's eyes widened when he realized they were explosive notes.

Itachi stood with his hand now in a half ram seal before channeling his chakra.

**BOOM**

An enormous explosion occurred as the small paper notes around Han all detonated together. A smoke cloud rose up as Itachi just stared at the smoke rising up from the explosion.

_(Finalist Box)_

"Damn." said Ameyuri, now standing beside Naruto. Naruto still stood by Shisui as the two of them nodded.

"If that didn't at least hurt the guy then I don't know what would." said Shisui.

_"Itachi Uchiha." _thought Naruto as the group watched the smoke die down. _"That's not enough. The guy released his Bijuu's power just like Yagura. That explosion won't harm him if that's same cloak as Yagura. You'll have to do better"_

_(Kage Box)_

Onoki was on his feet having watched the events that just happened.

_"He blew up Han?!" _thought Onoki in a panic. Ay looked on interested as he necessarily didn't want a Genin to die, but for Iwa to lose one of its Jinchuriki and Bijuu in a Chunin Exam would be something to see.

"The Uchiha Clan. You can say whatever you want about the clan, they are still powerful." said Ay as the smoke began to die down around Han. "Hmm. Seems the boy is fine. Lucky him."

Onoki calmed down before sitting back down in his seat. "Seems so. He'll have to be more careful." said Onoki glad to see his Jinchuriki safe.

_"Seems the boy activated his Jinchuriki cloak to protect himself." _thought Hiruzen in the same boat as Ay. He necessarily didn't want to see the Genin die, but did want his Genin to advance to the Finals. _"I have no clue how Itachi will defend himself against that. He's too young. This fight is over."_

_(Arena Floor)_

Itachi just stood unyielding as he eyes stared at Han. Han however had two tails swishing behind him as he stared at Itachi, unharmed by the previous explosion.

_"That chakra not only acts as a shield." _thought Itachi before seeing Han run at him. _"It's clearly boosted his physical attributes. Hopefully this finishes him."_

Han cleared half the distance to Itachi before watching the Uchiha flow through seven hand seals. Itachi let loose another fire ball as Han saw nothing but fire in his face. Running clear into the fire, Han came out the other side to see Itachi standing there still with his hands in the tiger seal. Planting a fist into his stomach, steam burst from Han's back.

_**"Futton: Kairiki Muso (Boil Style: Unrivaled Strength)" **_thought Han as he sent Itachi sailing through the air with his strongest punch as Itachi flew back just like Karui did in the Quarterfinal match. The only difference, when Itachi hit the wall, he dispelled in a poof of smoke. _"Shadow Clone.."_

Han could feel the air heat up behind him as he knew what was coming. Another fireball engulfed Han whole before Han noticed that a explosive note was packaged inside of the fire ball with him. A large explosive note.

**"Katon: Bakuhatsu Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Exploding Grand Fireball Technique)" **said Itachi as the explosive note inside glowed a blinding white.

**BOOM**

The fireball erupted into a massive explosion with Han in the center of it. Itachi just stood 30 feet away as sweat accumulated on his forehead. Itachi felt the fatigue from the two fireballs and shadow clone sequence as he noticed the smoke clear from the explosion.

Han laid prone on the ground in a still burning and charred heap as Kitsuchi walked over to the downed Genin. Not seeing a reaction, Kitsuchi raised a hand before looking out at Itachi. A split second before declaring Itachi the winner, Han began to pick himself up.

"Wait..." said Han, somehow still conscious after that jutsu. Kitsuchi just stared wide-eyed, even though Han was a jinchuriki, that he survived, let alone was able to fight after something like that. "This fight isn't over."

Itachi looked at Han to see him out of that chakra cloak with pieces of his armor missing and what wasn't missing was singed badly. Han had soot on his face and his facemask was tore but still managed to hide his lower face. Itachi just shook his head before raising his hand.

"Yes it is. I forfeit." said Itachi before turning and beginning to head out of the arena. Kitsuchi just nodded his head as he empathized with the young man. Anyone who could take your strongest jutsu and continue fighting definitely wouldn't be defeated by you anytime soon, especially when you used up most of your chakra in doing so.

_"That's the second time Han has won solely based on his Jinchuriki status." _thought Kitsuchi before declaring Han the winner. Kitsuchi then noticed that the crowd didn't really cheer that loud as he noticed most must have believed the Uchiha boy should be moving on to the Finals. _"This is obviously not what dad wanted. Han was meant to be a show of strength and yet he's being bested by mere Genin. If anything, he's proving to be the exact opposite as other villages would see that if a Genin can do this to our Jinchuriki, what would a Chunin or Jonin do."_

Kitsuchi then got out of his thoughts before addressing the crowd. "We will have a 20 minute intermission before the Finals begin." said Kitsuchi as a dozen Iwa shinobi appeared in the arena to take care repairing the arena floor as much as possible before the last match. "The Final Match of these Chunin Exams will pit Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure versus Han of Iwagakure. Until then."

* * *

_(Kage Box)_

Onoki clapped along with the crowd at the announcement of the Final Match pitting his genin, Han, against the dark horse in Naruto Hozuki. Onoki then turned toward Hiruzen, who glanced his way upon noticing the elder Kage look at him.

"Seems we'll finally have a Konoha-free final. That hasn't happened in a while." said Onoki.

_"Of course he wants to talk now." _thought Hiruzen but nevertheless nodded his head before replying. "So it seems. Though I am proud of my Genin and the way they fought in this exam."

"Tch." said the Raikage, Ay, feeling the exact opposite of the Hokage. "While I am proud, I certainly wish my Genin could have won this exam. Though our road was tougher with one being eliminated by his own teammate, the other facing a Jinchuriki, and my last Genin having to face Kushina Uzumaki's son."

A gasp from the two older Kages sounded out as Ay just looked at their shocked faces due to his last statement.

"Don't pretend to not have known. You both already knew that was her son. Especially when he used that Kenjutsu and that pure white sword with the red guard. The same that Uzu's Benihime used. And let us not forget the Uzumaki Clan emblem emblazoned on the back of his jacket."

The other Kages stopped feigning shock before turning back into their seats.

"Of course. It seems the Uzumaki clan did not die out." said Onoki in a tone that belied his true thoughts. He'd been assured that Kushina was dead and everything about her erased. "Apparently Kushina lived on in this boy."

Ay and Hiruzen heard the tone behind Onoki's voice and immediately wondered what was going through his mind. Ay thought nothing more of it, not caring what Iwa did to one Kiri shinobi. Hiruzen though was different.

_"That boy is an Uzumaki." _thought Hiruzen remembering the ties that village had with his own. _"We may have faltered in helping our allies in the past but nevertheless, that boy will be under Konoha's and my protection. And I'm certain Kiri would have a say if Onoki tried anything anyway."_

Though words were shared with the Kage, tension still seemed to radiate as they sat and waited for the Finals to begin.

_(Finalist Box)_

"Dude. That's just not fair." came the voice of Shisui after seeing Han still get up after Itachi's jutsu. Shisui then looked toward Naruto. "How do you beat that guy? He can walk through explosions."

Naruto glanced up to the sky to see Samui's jutsu still floating there. Naruto just smiled before hearing Ameyuri speak for him.

"Don't worry about Pretty Boy. He'll find a way." said Ameyuri as Anko walked up next to Shisui hearing the conversation.

"Against a Jinchuriki. Really?" questioned Anko as the group noticed Itachi walk into the room. Itachi looked at Naruto, who met Itachi's eye contact.

Itachi nodded his head as if confirming something. "You have a way to beat him?" stated Itachi as if it was a question he already knew the answer to. "Your jutsu better kill him. Because that's the only way you'll be able to put him down."

"I guess we'll see how it goes." said Naruto as he began to get mentally ready for the fight ahead.

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Leave a review or shoot me a pm.**

**-Hamp out**


	9. Finals IV

**Back at it. Chapter 9. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Happy New Year though. I'll catch you all in 2015.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Finals IV**

Still sitting atop the Arena above the Finalist Box was Konoha's Toad Sage, Jiraiya. Jiraiya decided to stick around for the finale of the exams as he hoped to see more from Naruto. Especially how he'd do against a Jinchuriki.

Jiraiya's head picked up feeling a presence behind him before a lecherous grin crossed his face when he recognized the chakra signature.

"Tsunade-Hime." said Jiraiya before turning his head to see a woman in a scarf standing behind him.

"I figured I'd find you here." said Tsunade before removing her scarf, allowing her two ponytails to show. Tsunade then took off the sunglasses she wore before looking at Jiraiya. "That boy. How'd you know he was Kushina's son before last round?"

"Just a hunch and he told me. You did place your bet on him right?" questioned Jiraiya while Tsunade walked up and sat beside him.

"Of course. I saw the toad and I'm actually thankful that I did. If the kid is even better than what he showed last round, he'll take down that Jinchuriki." said Tsunade.

"So you remember Kushina-chan I see." said Jiraiya as Tsunade nodded.

"Of course I do. Those Golden chains, that sword imbued with the same special chakra, and her Kenjutsu made her one feared woman. Uzu's strongest shinobi if I remember." said Tsunade. "So strong that people forget you taught her."

Jiraiya just nodded his head as he eyed Naruto walking into the arena floor. "Yeah. That's what happens when your student is good. People only remember I taught Minato because he used toads. And technically, my teaching of Kushina was done in private and not to be shared with the world." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade just nodded as she looked out at Naruto before seeing Han jump into the arena with him. Though Han seemed to replace his outfit considering his armor had been destroyed from the last match. He looked like he'd never even been in a fight from Tsunade's viewpoint.

"Jinchuriki. That old man put a Jinchuriki into a chunin exam. Our shinobi would have defeated that Jinchuriki if not for his Bijuu." said Tsunade slightly angered at the Tsuchikage. Tsunade then turned to Jiraiya. "Do you really think Naruto has a jutsu that can put him down? I don't think that sword will be enough."

"The kid seemed extremely confident. Just like Kushina." replied Jiraiya as Kitsuchi readied to start the match. "Kid told me he had this exam in the bag and you can't help but believe him."

Tsunade just nodded her head. "Well. I hope you're right. Because if I lose my 100,000 Ryo. I'm kicking your ass before taking body parts to make up for my 100,000." said Tsunade causing Jiraiya to gulp nervously.

_"Damn it Jiraiya. Why'd you have to get involved?" _thought Jiraiya before saying a silent prayer to Kami in hopes that Naruto would indeed win.

* * *

_(Arena Floor)_

Kitsuchi looked between the two finalists. Han's demeanor was hidden mostly by his armor but you could see the seriousness behind his eyes. Kitsuchi knew why too because of what Onoki told him before the exams started. Win or consequences would follow.

Kitsuchi then looked over at Naruto, who was an open book compared to Han. He seemed confident yet aloof at the same time, almost carefree about the whole thing.

_"Kid looks like he already won." _thought Kitsuchi realizing what Naruto possessed and exactly who he was going against. _"This will certainly be entertaining." _

"The Final match of the Chunin Exams is set and ready to go." said Kitsuchi as the crowd began to cheer loudly. "Naruto Hozuki, are you ready?"

"Since birth." said Naruto as Kitsuchi nodded before turning to Han.

"Han are you ready?" questioned Kitsuchi before steam flew from Han's back. Kitsuchi took that as a yes before shifting his hand down. "Hajime!"

Jumping out-of-the-way, Kitsuchi watched Naruto sprint toward Han. Han looked surprised by Naruto attacking him directly knowing who he was and what he was capable of. Steam fluttered off Han's back in preparation for Naruto's arrival.

Naruto reached Han quickly before raising his hand as his chokuto appeared in it. Han brought up his armored forearm to block just as Naruto brought his sword down. Han felt air before seeing Naruto's hand come down without the sword, moving pass his block, before the sword appeared again in Naruto's hand.

_"He put his sword back in his seal then brought back out." _thought Han seeing the sword hit him directly in the chest. Han's armor blocked the strike, chipping slightly as it saved his chest from a direct hit. However, Han blanched slightly as he felt a weird sensation enter his body at the touch. Han backed up from Naruto, jumping away as he clutched his chest for a few seconds.

_"What the hell was that?" _thought Han seeing Naruto just stand before placing his sword behind him and take his opening stance. Han shook it off feeling the effect leave him before steam fluttered off his back. Han came back at Naruto before engaging him in Taijutsu, more careful about the sword in Naruto's hand.

Han threw a jab that Naruto dodged before Han retracted his fist and threw an elbow. Han watched Naruto spin into him faster than before, dodging the elbow, before planting his sword in Han's chest again. Han felt the same weird feeling, more intense this time, as Naruto planted his foot on his sword and kicked the large boy hard. Han's armor chipped off some more having stumbled back several feet as Naruto was on him immediately.

Han recovered fast enough to throw a kick that Naruto just batted down with the hilt of his sword before slashing at Han's chest, shoulder, and chest again. One of Han's armor platings fell off as blood seeped through the cut across his chest. Han felt the same strange feeling even more now, especially considering Naruto easily swatted down his kick. Han nearly took another sword slash to the chest but he steam jumped far away from Naruto. Han put his hand back to his chest before hearing a voice in his head that he rarely heard.

**"Han. I don't like you but I feel it necessary to tell you because that sword hurts me and you can't seem to figure it out yourself." **came the voice of Han's Bijuu in his mind. **"The sword the boy wields is imbued with chakra suppressing abilities. My old Jinchuriki before you was killed by that sword having faced a woman in battle. Be wary of it and don't let it touch you, or you'll continue to feel weaker and weaker. It's like a poison."**

_"So that's why he could block my kick. And what happened to his last opponent." _thought Han having seen Samui look slower and slower throughout the fight with each time the sword touched her.

**"Yes. Though it'll effect you more. The more chakra, the faster it spreads." **said Han's Bijuu as Han stopped clutching his chest feeling the effect begin to die down once again. Han then looked out to see Naruto still standing in the same place. Channeling chakra, Han broke the Genjutsu he was placed in as the Naruto in front of him disappeared and Han rolled forward to dodge a slash toward his midsection from Naruto, now behind the Jinchuriki.

Han continued to roll forward as Naruto followed his movement ready to continue assaulting the Jinchuriki boy once he stood back up.

_"Ka-chan's sword is tailor-made for fighting Jinchuriki. I'm actually glad it was Han rather than Itachi." _thought Naruto slashing at Han once he stood up. Naruto missed though because Han used steam enhanced speed to dodge the swipe and follow up swipes that just continued to come. _"Itachi would have been a much tougher opponent because he'd already noticed the effects my sword had on Samui. And that Sharingan would have been harder to get by."_

Han grew frustrated as Naruto seemed to not tire in his relentless offense against him and he was still feeling the effects from the earlier hits from Naruto's sword. Realizing it was now or be hit eventually anyway, Han stopped dodging before bringing up his forearm again. Naruto wasn't ready for the block this time as his sword clashed against the armor. Han then batted the chokuto out of Naruto's hand with a steam powered swing of his arm.

Naruto's sword went sailing into the side of the arena directly to his right, piercing the concrete wall, before he looked at Han stare at him imposingly.

"No hard feelings?" questioned Naruto before back flipping out of Han's reach avoiding a super punch from the Jinchuriki. Naruto then made a move to his sword but Han sped in front of him, cutting him off from his weapon.

_"That's not good." _thought Naruto seeing Han push the sword deeper into the arena wall. _"And he's smart enough to not try and grab the sword and get hurt more. I thought this guy was just a mindless bruiser." _

Han bull rushed Naruto but stopped in front of him rather than speeding pass to continue staying between Naruto and his sword. Han then threw three punches that Naruto barely dodged before speeding up his next punch with steam. Naruto attempted to dodge but was too slow as the fist impacted in his stomach.

_**"Futton: Kairiki Muso (Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength)" **_thought Han with his fist in Naruto's gut before fully punching out. Han just watched though as Naruto's upper body exploded in a shower of water. Han looked confused for a second at the lower body just standing before him of just Naruto's waist down.

The legs just jumped as if scared before running over the water that had blew backwards from Han's punch. With each step over the water that the legs took, the water traveled up the legs becoming more and more of Naruto before the Hozuki clan member fully reformed and continued to run across the arena.

_"Thank Kami for being a Hozuki. That punch was strong as hell." _thought Naruto turning his head to see Han right on his tail. Naruto turned seeing Han 15 feet away as Naruto landed on the river in the arena.

**"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Technique)" **said Naruto having flew through the hand seals with blistering speed as the water below him reacted. Han was surprised Naruto could get a technique off as he'd only covered 4 of the 15 feet before the water shark came flying out of the water at him.

"Oh you're kidding me." said Naruto seeing Han cover his entire body in a cloak of steam as he ran clean through the shark, turning it into steam. Han continued his bull rush nearly hitting Naruto, who turned into a drop of water to dodge the attack. Naruto reformed at the end of the river opposite Han who only looked down at him staring at his sword.

_"This is a lot tougher than I thought. I didn't think he'd get rid of my sword like that." _thought Naruto looking at his sword before looking at Han already making his way back to it to keep Naruto from getting to it. Naruto looked up seeing the clouds in the sky still before looking back at Han. _"I wonder if this will work better? It nearly killed me the first time I tried. But, why not try it again. Hope this holds him for a bit."_

**"Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique)" **said Naruto before a thick mist covered the arena, a mist way thicker than before. Naruto then put his hands in the ram seal. _**"Shinkiro no Genjutsu (Mirage Genjutsu)"**_

_(Finalist Box)_

"Damn. I can't see through his mist anymore." said Shisui with his Sharingan on looking at the mist created by Naruto. "It's like a blanket of just chakra."

Itachi felt the same way only seeing chakra. "Meaning his first time using the jutsu was just to create the illusion of us being able to fight and see in it." said Itachi before a small smile graced his face. "He really thought ahead. If he'd have faced me or you in the Finals this would have posed a problem."

"No doubt." said Shisui seeing another chakra lace itself over the first. "He added more chakra into it. It's a different color though?"

_"Did he activate another technique?" _thought Itachi before the two Uchihas heard a voice beside them.

"This is what makes Pretty Boy so good, unbeatable really." said Ameyuri recognizing Naruto's Mirage taking effect. "Sensei said he nearly beat our Kage in a spar with this jutsu, he just needed a few seconds longer."

"Beat his Kage...What jutsu is it?" questioned Shisui intrigued as Ameyuri just shook her head.

"I won't just tell you Pretty Boy's secrets like that. Just be happy I told you that much." said Ameyuri before noticing something shoot up into the sky. "That's new...What's Pretty Boy doing?"

"Looks like even you don't know all of his secrets." said Itachi causing Ameyuri to huff at that thought.

_"Does Pretty Boy have another technique?" _thought Ameyuri before watching the rest of the fight to see what would happen.

_(Kage Box)_

Onoki watched proudly seeing Han wise up and take Naruto's sword away from him. "I watched our Jinchuriki get bested by Kushina with that sword. And almost watched it again. That poisoning chakra in it is just bothersome." said Onoki watching Han assault Naruto. "Without that sword, this fight is Han's."

Ay looked on at the fight. "As much as I hate to say you're right, that Naruto boy will lose if he doesn't have a jutsu better than that shark one." said Ay before watching Han easily run through the jutsu. Seeing Han get back in front of Naruto's sword to keep him away, Ay just shook his head. "Yeah, this looks meek."

Hiruzen nearly nodded his head before seeing Naruto take that familiar Kirigakure stance. Watching mist cloud the entire arena floor from view, Hiruzen let out a small smile.

"I wouldn't count the boy out yet. He seems to have something up his sleeves." said Hiruzen before noticing something flash up into the sky. "We may be in for a surprise."

_"What is that boy trying to do?" _thought Onoki in a panic having seen the same thing as Hiruzen. Onoki felt nervous because he really couldn't see what was going on in the mist.

_(With Jiraiya and Tsunade)_

Tsunade held Jiraiya in a painfully tight, chakra enhanced grip watching the fight between Naruto and Han.

"He lost his sword Jiraiya. And those water jutsu will do nothing against that steam armor." said Tsunade as Jiraiya continued to pray to Kami.

_"If there is a Kami. Please, please help me." _thought Jiraiya feeling Tsunade's grip loosen slightly.

"That mist is blanketing." said Tsunade noticing how much stronger Naruto's mist was. Jiraiya then peeked an eye out before seeing something shoot up into the heavens.

Jiraiya just smiled happily before looking up to the sky. _"You didn't have to show off like that." _said Jiraiya in his head before looking out into the arena floor to see what Naruto would do.

_(Arena Floor)_

Han looked troubled in the mist but backed up to the wall directly in front of Naruto's sword. Han could only see 3 feet in front of him but if Naruto was going to get this sword, he'd definitely have to go through him and his steam armor. A few seconds went by before Han noticed the mist clear and Naruto stood in front of him, with his sword in his hand.

"What?!" said Han before turning around and seeing the sword missing from the wall. "No!"

"Yes." said Naruto holding his sword before settling into his stance. Naruto then felt Han's chakra intensify before seeing him back in his Jinchuriki Cloak. Naruto then watched him channel more chakra as Naruto's eyebrows went up at that. "That doesn't look good."

Han stood bathed in a Jinchuriki cloak with four tails swishing behind him. Though the cloak was now fully around him and a deep red. Han had glowing white eyes as the furnace on his back let loose a bunch of steam.

_"I'll travel too fast for him to put up that sword and block. And if he turns to water, I'll turn him into steam. It's over." _thought Han before rocketing toward Naruto. Just like Han predicted, Naruto could barely move before Han reached him. Han hit water assuming Naruto reverted to it before realizing he hit a lot of water.

Han was floating in midair before struggling to turn his head and see Naruto just wave at him before dissolving into thin air. As if the world shifted into reality, Han noticed that Naruto's mist was still in the air before seeing nothing but water in front of him, a lot of water.

_"It was a Genjutsu...but I didn't even realize it took effect." _thought Han in his head before turning slowly.

**"Suiton: Dai Suiro no Jutsu (Water Style: Big Water Prison Technique)" **said Naruto as Han noticed the Hozuki clan member with both hands inside the enormous ball of water. Though that Naruto was just a clone as another Naruto appeared behind that one.

_"How?" _thought Han in his head trapped in the large water prison.

_(Flashback - Naruto's Perspective)_

_**"Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique)" **said Naruto before a thick mist covered the arena. A mist way thicker than before. Naruto then held his hands in the ram seal. **"Shinkiro no Genjutsu (Mirage Genjutsu)"**_

_Naruto felt his Genjutsu take effect before creating a water clone. Naruto then looked at his water clone before he ran through a dozen hand seals._

_"You think this will work?" questioned Naruto as his water clone just shrugged his shoulders before going through his own hand seals._

_"I hope it does. Because if it doesn't, you could kill somebody. Even yourself like you almost did last time" said Naruto's clone before spewing out a large amount of water from his mouth that took on the shape of a large ball filled with dense water. "Hurry up though, he's bound to come flying at you mad at any moment."_

_"Right. This is the jutsu I developed to beat Yagura with. Though it's much easier to use this time thanks to Samui" said Naruto before his entire right arm sparked with lightning. Naruto then pointed his arm straight up as the lightning flew from his raised fist into Samui's clouds. Just as Naruto let the jutsu loose, he felt Han build up a large amount of chakra._

_Naruto's clone grew worried at the chakra output before looking at his original. "The hell did you show him?" questioned Naruto's clone._

_"He thinks I got my sword back." said Naruto before feeling Han rocket directly toward his clone's water prison. Naruto grew surprised that Han made it nearly two-thirds of the way in the dense water ball before finally coming to a stop._

_"Showtime." thought Naruto before looking at the confused Han trapped in his jutsu._

_(Flashback end)_

"Give up." said Naruto. "I don't want to kill you."

_"Kill me? I won't drown in this, I can still move." _thought Han moving his body slowly through the large water. Han then noticed that Naruto let his mist lift before pointing a hand up. Han looked up at the sky to see white lightning cackling around it. Han also noticed the crowd could finally see them as well as they cheered at the turn of events with Naruto seeming victorious.

"If you don't give up, I will let that come down straight into this prison." said Naruto as Han looked back at Naruto. "Just give up."

Han sat still in the water for a few seconds. Han then thought about why he was placed in these exams in the first place, to be a show of strength to the world. Han couldn't be a show of strength if he loss to a mere Genin. And if he did lose, there'd be no telling what would happen to him from Onoki and the rest of Iwa's top ninjas for losing.

_"I can't lose to him. I can't." _thought Han before settling to fully let his Tailed Beast free. Everyone felt the build up of chakra from Han, especially Naruto who'd already backed up at the slightest fluctuation he felt from his sensory ability.

**"I won't lose!" **shouted Han in the water building up an immense amount of chakra. Kitsuchi backed up hearing Han's voice realizing the boy was about to release his Bijuu. Kitsuchi also backed up because he figured Naruto's jutsu would actually be real and he'd drop a thunderbolt to the Earth.

Naruto just shook his head at Han's words. "You already have." said Naruto before placing his hands in the tiger seal. Naruto knew his jutsu was just chakra from Samui's jutsu, not real lightning like he tried before so it'd come down a bit slower and less powerful. Though controlling the chakra felt much easier to Naruto then trying to tame a force of nature. Despite the power difference, it'd still be more than enough to defeat Han.

**"Raigeki" **said Naruto before a bolt of lighting fell from the clouds and smashed right into the water prison holding Han. What felt like a flash bang went off as the arena floor was too bright to be viewed for a full 5 seconds before the light died down. When the light died down, Naruto could be seen standing 10 feet from Han, who laid dead center in a charred Earth circle not moving.

The sky cleared up from the jutsu as the water prison surrounding Han was gone along with Naruto's water clone. Kitsuchi appeared back in the arena following the jutsu to see Han lying in a crater and Naruto just on the outside of it. Naruto looked at Han's motionless body before falling to one knee in exhaustion from the rapid big jutsu usage. Kitsuchi just looked at Han before nodding his head and pointing a hand at Naruto.

"Wait..." came the voice of Han as Naruto and everyone in the arena's eyes widened at that.

_"No way." _thought Naruto hearing Han's voice. Kitsuchi grew surprised that Han survived before realizing that the boy couldn't move and was just talking unconsciously. Naruto noticed that as well before smiling heavily for two reasons. One, he didn't actually kill Han. And two, for what Kitsuchi was about to say.

Kitsuchi just smiled at Naruto's grin before officially ending the Chunin Exams.

"Winner of Match 7 and winner of the Chunin Exams, Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure." said Kitsuchi loudly before the crowd erupted into cheers for Naruto. Naruto just continued smiling before pumping a fist into the air in victory. Naruto heard the crowd's applause go louder before his face met dirt, sliding halfway into the crater and he drifted off into blissful, chakra exhaustion slumber.

_(Kage Box)_

"Winner of the Chunin Exams...Naruto Hozuki of Kirigakure." repeated Ay before standing up and clapping loudly for the Kiri shinobi. "That was impressive."

Hiruzen was also standing and clapping feeling the same way as Ay. "Naruto Hozuki." said Hiruzen. "That boy will be special some day."

Onoki just sat staring at the events he just witnessed. A mere genin, from Kirigakure, just won Iwa's Chunin Exams over a Jinchuriki. And nonetheless did it in spectacular fashion with a bolt of lightning. The whole world was watching and Onoki just sat baffled at how something like this could happen.

Ay noticed Onoki's face as he just grinned. "Great Chunin Exams eh Old Fence Sitter?" questioned Ay as Onoki just sat in silence. No more words were spoken by the eldest Kage as he just sat in silence. Onoki just sat and listened to the cheers going on as he watched the medics take away Han and Naruto.

_"Naruto Hozuki..." _thought Onoki.

_(Top of Finalist Box)_

"The kid brought down a bolt of lightning!" exclaimed Jiraiya loudly just after seeing Naruto win. Cheers rang out as Jiraiya still sat atop the Finalist Box with Tsunade's arm around his neck. Jiraiya then looked over at Tsunade to see her with wide eyes.

"He won. He actually won. 100,000 ryo at 40:1 odds..." said Tsunade in a low voice. "4 million Ryo. He did it. He did it!"

Tsunade squeezed Jiraiya a little tighter in joy as the Toad Sage felt the strain on his neck.

"Hime. Hime..." said Jiraiya in a pained voice before feeling Tsunade move his head back so that they were face to face.

"He won!" shouted Tsunade before planting her lips on Jiraiya's. Tsunade had Jiraiya by his shirt pulling him in as she kissed the lecherous man for a few seconds before ending it. "Consider that a thank you for telling me about him. I need to go collect my winnings."

Tsunade then got up and walked away toward the betting booth as Jiraiya sat frozen. Jiraiya's eyes were glazed over as he sat dazed.

_"Anytime hime."_ thought Jiraiya before falling over with a large grin on his face. _"Thank you Naruto Hozuki." _

* * *

_(Kirigakure - 5 days later)_

"Dude. You're a rock star." said Chojuro standing next to Naruto, who was waving cheerfully at the few civilians greeting them on their return from Iwa. Having waited until Naruto healed from his last match, the team then made the return journey to Kirigakure. And it seemed news traveled fast as Team Mangetsu received a hero-like welcome back from some of the villagers.

Ameyuri just snorted at Chojuro's comment though. "I'm a rock star too. Pretty Boy wouldn't have made it that far if I'd have given up in the first task or even didn't let him finish the second task." said Ameyuri waving in sync with Naruto. "We're all rock stars. Mangetsu-sensei included."

Mangetsu just smiled. "So it seems. Though Naruto clearly has more fans, he won the Chunin Exams." said Mangetsu as Naruto just nodded his head.

"Of course I did. I had a great teacher." said Naruto looking at Mangetsu with a smile.

"And this teacher is thankful for a great student." said Mangetsu thinking about the money Kurenai handed him for winning their bet. "I'm just glad Iwa has great medic ninjas or we'd have still been there because of Naruto's chakra exhaustion."

Naruto perked up at that. _"That wasn't Iwa that healed me. It was some other kunoichi with blonde hair and chakra comparable to Jiraiya-sama."_ thought Naruto thinking about how later that day he awoke due to the healing he received from some anonymous woman in a scarf. _"Apparently she bet on me and for winning her money, she healed me on the spot...and fast too. I should have been out for a week and yet she had me out by the next day. I wonder who she was?" _

Naruto disregarded that thought before continuing to smile and wave at the civilians. Naruto then dropped his hand immediately as the smile left his face. Mangetsu noticed the sudden change before realizing why it happened.

_"Yagura. He's starting so soon." _thought Mangetsu as 10 seconds later the short Kage appeared in front of him and his Genin team. Naruto turned his head toward Yagura with a straight face as the Kage simply smiled at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun. Congratulations." said Yagura as he walked over to the Chunin Exam Champion. "Come. We have much to discuss."

Yagura tapped Naruto on the shoulder as the two of them disappeared in a water Shunshin.

_"Damn. I hate that guy. Ruins everything" _thought Ameyuri watching Naruto disappear. _"Can't wait for Pretty Boy to just slug him." _

_(Mizukage's office)_

Appearing in Yagura's office, Naruto stood in the center of it as Yagura walked to the back near his desk. Yagura didn't go to sit at his desk, instead the short Kage just stood and looked out his window. Naruto never moved though as he stood stoic in Yagura's office.

"You actually did it." said Yagura with a chuckle before turning an eye to Naruto. Turning his head back to the window, Yagura just continued to smile. "And I'm sure you remember what would happen if you won the exams?"

"Of course I do Yagura-sama." said Naruto still stoic though internally he couldn't contain his excitement. One of the Seven Swords would be his and it'd definitely help him in bringing stability to Kirigakure.

Yagura just smiled before turning toward Naruto. "Good. Then in two years time we will begin to get you that sword. In the mean time, grow stronger. This war will go on for several more years and in that time, I'll use you to finish it. In a subtle way for now before crushing them at the end." said Yagura. Yagura continued to smile at Naruto having seen Naruto's eye twitch at the sword comment.

_"Two years. So I'm not getting Samehada or any sword yet... And even then, he still said I'd begin."_ thought Naruto beginning to think Yagura was messing with him on purpose to get a reaction. Yagura told Naruto that he'd get his sword upon his promotion to Chunin but clearly, Yagura had other plans.

"Understood Yagura-sama. Is that all?" questioned Naruto before seeing Yagura shake his head.

"Your training with Fuguki bore great results. And as such, shall continue." said Yagura with a smile. "From now on, he'll be your supervising ninja. He'll train you mostly in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu though. I'm sure you'll find a way for your other talents as you've already have. And as far as missions go. You'll need to garner experience quickly because the rebel forces grow stronger by the day. And the fastest way to do that is by becoming a special class of ninja."

Naruto watched Yagura pull out a few things from his desk as his eyebrows raised.

"Hunter-nin." said Naruto before Yagura nodded. Naruto knew he really had no say in the matter, no matter how much he wanted to remain teammates with Chojuro and Ameyuri. Though he didn't expect the shift to happen so suddenly. Naruto then jolted slightly as he felt a presence enter the room 3 feet behind him.

"Naruto Hozuki. Welcome to Kiri's Hunter-nin Division. I am your captain, Ao." came the voice of a man behind Naruto. Naruto then looked up to see Yagura placing a hand to his shoulder.

"It will be a long and busy two years for you Naruto-kun. Train well and grow strong. You're my apprentice and right hand man, I need you if I'll ever win this war." said Yagura before beckoning Naruto to leave. Naruto turned around with the mask in hand to follow the Hunter-nin in front of him. Before fully exiting, Naruto put the porcelain white mask on his face that adorned the Kiri symbol on his forehead and swirl marks covering the lower part of it.

Several minutes after the near 11 year old's departure, a vortex appeared next to Yagura. Yagura's eyes glowed red for a second before fading back to normal.

"Naruto Hozuki. Maybe we'll have to take matters into our own hands. He's not bugging in the slightest despite all I have Yagura making him do. Nothing." said the Masked Man. "I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands in the next two years if he doesn't himself. So learn everything you can from Fuguki, Naruto Hozuki. Because in two years time, you will take his sword and call on the Akatsuki for help."

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Review or shoot me a Pm.**

**-Hamp Out**


	10. Renegade

**Bringing in 2015 right! Chapter Ten! Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Funny story, I typed this entire chapter while I was drunk last night from bringing in the New Year. I took a cab home and rather than sleeping like I wanted to, my body opened my laptop and I typed this chapter. It was 1:27 am when I got home and I fell asleep at 4:13 am because that was the last text I read and I passed out before finishing my response.

6,000+ words in 3 hours?! Damn. Hennessy has become my favorite drink. It was the drink of choice last night, my first time trying it, and it made me extremely efficient and productive (And it goes down perfectly). I may have a drinking problem now that I think about it, attributing alcohol to functioning at a higher level. Aw well, Who Cares?! It's **2015**! Happy New Year Peeps.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Renegade**

An auburn haired woman sat in the middle of a lake, atop the water, that was fed by an adjacent waterfall. She was but only 14 years old but was already considered by many as one of the strongest in Kirigakure, despite being a rebel and bloodline ninja. She was Mei Terumi, a captain in Kirigakure's Rebel Forces and probably the strongest in its entire force.

In many respects, Mei was said to have only one equal in Kirigakure. Obviously not Yagura, whose power was unmatched being not only the Mizukage but Jinchuriki of the Sanbi with complete control of his Bijuu. No, Mei's equal was Yagura's right-hand man, Naruto Hozuki. Naruto's name grew more famous after his showing at the Chunin Exams back in Iwa and continued to grow with every accomplishment that happened afterward with his being a hunter-nin.

Mei hadn't seen Naruto in those two years since the Chunin Exams but word of mouth moved fast, especially considering the fact that he'd killed dozens of missing-nin and captured powerful Rebel Force members. The Rebel Forces were growing with each passing day but if Naruto continued taking out the top brass, their Rebellion would fall short of attaining their goal of uniting Kirigakure.

_"Naruto-kun. What have you become..."_ thought Mei with her eyes closed thinking about all the things she heard. _"I haven't seen you in two years and nearly every other week I hear a story about how you've captured another Rebel member. The right hand of Yagura and Red-masked Hunter-nin. Was everything a lie?" _

And in those thoughts, Mei grew conflicted. Mei still thought Naruto was the same person she first met 5 years ago, who saved her from Yagura. The same person who'd made her a promise to bring peace to Kirigakure with Yagura's end. But he was also the one picking the Rebellion apart one ninja at a time, in Yagura's favor. And the one who hadn't even contacted her in a little over two years.

_"Naruto-kun...what happened?" _thought Mei with her eyes closed trying to rationalize in her head why. _"He hasn't even come back to the Waterfall Lake either. Where are you? I need answers." _

Mei's head picked up and her eyes opened when she felt an eerie mist entering the lake.

_"There's never been mist here before." _thought Mei who looked out to see a Hunter-nin in front of her. Though Mei grew surprised when she saw the red mask adorning the face of the Hunter-nin. _"Naruto-kun.."_

"Mei Terumi." came a voice Mei recognized as Naruto's, albeit deeper due to age. Mei stood up on the lake as she recognized more of Naruto. His spiky white hair still styled the same, the confident aura, and the fact that Naruto was the only one who wore an Uzumaki insignia on his clothing in Kirigakure.

"Naruto-kun..." said Mei slightly shocked that he'd come after her. Mei then showed a look of determination, this was the chance she'd just been thinking about. A way to get answers from him and she could accomplish that by kicking his ass and making him talk to her.

Mei whipped out a kunai before turning and blocking the sword strike aimed at her head. Naruto backed up as Mei was on him fast and clashed her kunai against his sword again. The Naruto behind her vanished into thin air along with the mist as Mei smiled at the Naruto in front of her.

"That Mirage Genjutsu only works so long. You won't beat me like that." said Mei still pressing against Naruto's sword with her kunai. Mei's eyes widened when Naruto disappeared again and her kunai was actually in one of the trees surrounding the waterfall lake.

"I'm not trying to beat you..Mei-chan." said Naruto right behind the auburn haired kunoichi. Mei felt a chill run through her body at the voice in her ear before turning around to see a mask less Naruto smiling at her. "When did you get so pretty?"

Mei would have blushed at the question but was still too shocked to speak. On one hand, this was the man solely responsible for weakening the Rebel Forces over the past two years. And on the other hand, he still looked and spoke to her like the old Naruto would have. But Mei still realized that both of those men were the same person and still would answer her questions regardless.

"Where the hell have you been?!" shouted Mei at Naruto whom only continued to smile at her. Mei grew slightly angered at that as her face moved closer to Naruto's with each sentence she spoke or question she asked. "You were gone! For Two years! And in that time, you kill Rebel Leaders? I thought you wanted to help us? Help Kirigakure? Help me?!"

Mei was now face to face with Naruto, nearly touching noses. The two sat like that for several seconds and the silence lingered on with it. Naruto's smile did leave but his nonchalance never left. Mei noticed that and the fact that they were this close but she wasn't going to budge until Naruto answered her questions.

"I've been busy. I was gone because I was busy. Yes, a whole two years being busy." started Naruto answering Mei while never moving his face from right in front of hers. "I never killed a Rebel Leader, only captured. And even then, they're still being held captive as prisoners of war. And I am helping you guys, helping Kirigakure, and you. I just needed time to get stronger. And why I haven't seen you, I'd have been forced to capture you just like them. And I couldn't have that, I needed you to stay with the Rebellion, to keep giving them hope."

Mei's anger began to die down with each passing answer from Naruto before she looked directly at his violet eyes with her green ones.

"You could have sent a letter." said Mei with a slight frown/pout.

"I don't remember you ever sending me a letter." rebuked Naruto as Mei just huffed and blew out air. "I am sorry though."

"You're right, I'm sorry too. And I've always been this pretty." said Mei as Naruto's smile returned from her answering his first question. Mei smiled as well before Naruto backed up slightly and held a hand out for Mei to grab. Realizing Naruto wanted her to go with him, Mei posed a question. "Where are you taking me?"

"To show you the answers to questions you haven't asked yet." said Naruto as Mei placed her hand in his. "Like is everything I said true? Are the captured Rebel members still alive? And why after being gone for two years, 3 months, and 27 days, I finally come see you again."

Mei raised an eyebrow at that. "You kept count of the days since?" questioned Mei as Naruto nodded. "I'm that special to you huh?"

_"You're my favorite chakra signature." _thought Naruto feeling the warmth of Mei's chakra. _"It's so addictive. Still the warmest, even more so than before." _

"Of course you are Mei-chan, my favorite Rebel ninja. And I have kept count of the days. I've also had three birthdays in that time so...you've got some making up to do." said Naruto turning to Mei with a smirk.

"Well you do too." said Mei as Naruto continued leading her through the woods. "I had birthdays as well that you didn't get me a gift for."

"Oh I will make that up here soon. But that'll still leave you without giving me a gift in return." said Naruto.

"I'm sure I can find something you like." said Mei slyly. Naruto picked up on the real intent behind that having felt Mei squeeze his hand slightly every time she caught him eyeing her, like just now. "Oh and Naruto-kun, if this is a trick, I can and will kick your ass if necessary."

Naruto just smiled at that. "Well, I wouldn't want that. Come Come." said Naruto as he continued to lead Mei. Mei just continued to stare at the back of Naruto's head as she didn't believe none of this was true.

_"Naruto Hozuki...you've grown up." _thought Mei looking at the shinobi in front of her. Naruto now stood at a height of 5'6" tall and from the way he carried himself, Mei could tell the stories about his prowess as a ninja were true.

Mei noticed his frame was muscular for a ninja, lean muscle though as he wasn't bulky so he could retain flexibility most likely. Mei could see Naruto's muscles due to the fact that he wore only a sleeveless, white vest with black pants and black sandals. On the back of Naruto's vest was the Uzumaki clan symbol in red and attached to the white belt on his waist were his red mask and white water bottles.

_"Naruto-kun got even hotter." _thought Mei with a mild blush as she continued to peep at all that was Naruto. Mei then felt Naruto squeeze her hand letting her know he knew she was checking him out. Mei didn't care though and continued shamelessly checking Naruto out.

Mei wasn't the only one checking the other out, Naruto had sized her up when he first saw her sitting at the waterfall lake and subsequently walking with her getting caught those few times. Naruto noticed that Mei had grown right along side him, now standing at 5'4" tall and just as powerful from her chakra signature while maintaining that gentle appearance.

Mei's hair was longer and fell further down her back, she even had a bang covering her right eye now. She wore a white crop top that ended above her belly button, a fishnet shirt on underneath that covered the rest of her stomach with blue pants and light grey sandals. A ninja pouch sat on the back of her waist and blue polish still laid on her fingernails and toenails.

Mei's frame was still slender but adolescence was doing her a ton of favors body wise from Naruto's viewpoint. _"Mei-chan...Oh Kami." _thought Naruto trying to focus on the task at hand and not his teenage male thoughts. _"Shouldn't have stared so hard. Gonna need a cold shower later."_

Minutes turned into half an hour before Naruto stopped walking realizing they had arrived. Mei walked up beside Naruto to see where they were.

"The Heart of Kirigakure." said Mei with a slight gasp looking at the village. Mei had never been to the central part of Kirigakure thanks to her blood and that this is Yagura's territory. "Why are we here?"

"You're going to kick my ass and free the Rebel leaders. Happy Birthday." said Naruto grinning at Mei. Mei looked at Naruto with a question that Naruto just nodded to. "Yes, it's time to light the powdered keg so to speak."

Mei just stayed silent as Naruto lead her through Kirigakure away from other ninjas with his sensory ability. It took no time at all before Naruto had Mei in a dungeon like area filled with dozens of prison cells. A man inside one of the cages looked up at the sound of two people walking in and his eyes shined with hope at seeing Mei.

"Mei-sama...she's here. Everyone look!" shouted the man, waking up the dozens of other rebels at his exclamation. "That Naruto boy was telling the truth."

Mei looked out at the people as she began seeing everyone of the people Naruto had captured in the past two years from the Rebel Forces. They were indeed all still alive like Naruto said.

"Everyone. We all thought you were dead." said Mei feeling happy as the man who spoke earlier shook his head.

"No. No. Naruto-san here actually treated us well, as best he could. It was all apart of his plan." said the man causing Mei to look at Naruto.

"I captured so many of them because if it wasn't me doing it, they'd have been killed." said Naruto. "Since I was the one to capture them, I got to determine their fate and told Yagura that I'd kill them at the end, in front of the rest of the Rebels for some kind of shock factor when we attacked all of you. Obviously I wasn't going to do it but it kept them alive longer for this very moment. The real rebellion will begin."

"Naruto's right Mei-sama. We know all about the Rebel Forces growing stronger and now with him on our side, we may have a chance at taking down Yagura." said the man as Mei continued to stare at Naruto.

"You thought up all of this? This was your plan?" questioned Mei as Naruto just nodded his head.

"I've grown strong Mei-chan. And if I'm correct, so have you. I can feel it." said Naruto having already gauged Mei's strength with his sensory ability. Not to mention the rumors that she was as strong as him. "We can actually take down Yagura if we join together. And with your Rebel Forces growing and the people that'll join me once I leave Yagura...we can end this War within a year probably. What do you say?"

_"It's really attainable now..Peace in Kirigakure." _thought Mei looking at Naruto with her green eyes. Naruto's violet eyes stared back at Mei trying to ascertain how she was feeling at the moment. _"I'd kiss you now if I didn't think it'd be weird."_

Mei took that thought out of her head before she just smiled at Naruto. "Let's do this then." said Mei. Naruto just smiled back at Mei just glad that his plan was going so perfect. Naruto continued smiling before a cough was heard. Naruto looked over at the trapped Rebels before nodding his head with a sheepish look on his face.

"Right. Sorry about that." said Naruto putting on his Hunter-nin mask. "Make it look good Mei-chan. And of course, no touching of the hair or face."

Mei just rolled her eyes. "What do you take me for? An amateur." said Mei before she proceeded to lay the smack down on Naruto and free the Rebels.

_(Mizukage's Office - 1 hour later)_

"It's time." said the Masked Man standing next to Zetsu in Yagura's office. Yagura sat at his desk with glowing red eyes while the two others talked to one another. "Naruto began his plan to free Kiri of Yagura's rule."

"Yes. He led that girl to the Rebels he captured and will likely join up with them after a month or so of sabotage." said the white half of Zetsu. "It's pretty ingenious when you think about it. And Yagura would have been none the wiser."

**"But Yagura isn't in control unfortunately for Naruto's plan. So we'll have to find a way to get Kiri to turn on him." **said the Black half of Zetsu before peering his eye out at the Masked Man. **"Did you already set it up?" **

"Of course I have." said the Masked Man as he grinned beneath his mask. "Naruto Hozuki, I wonder how you do with this wrench thrown in your plans."

The Masked Man continued to stare out the Mizukage's window waiting for his own plan to take action. Seeing a red-head with dual swords strapped to her back, he just smiled some more.

_"This will be good." _thought the Masked Man.

* * *

_(With Ameyuri)_

Two years had passed since the end of the Chunin Exams and along with it, two years of not being actively with Naruto every day. Ameyuri felt bored ever since, even though she saw him at least once a week, twice if she was lucky. It just wasn't enough for the Kunoichi, especially considering her crush had only blossomed more in the time away.

Ameyuri's hair was still styled the same with that piece of cloth holding up two pieces while the rest flowed to her mid back. She wore a loose, pin-striped long-sleeve shirt with a dark obi around her waist, black pants that got looser around the ends, and striped leg-warmers that ended as sandals. Ameyuri was now 15 and she'd never felt happier in her life.

_"Pretty Boy said he has a surprise for me." _thought Ameyuri giddy internally from the note Naruto left her that morning. Ameyuri arrived at the circular building she and many others, including Naruto and Chojuro, once called home. _"Where we first met." _

Ameyuri walked into the building and made an immediate right turn. Ameyuri walked for a while until she came upon a door. Recognizing this as the door that led to where Fuguki usually trained Naruto, Ameyuri nodded her head.

_"Here we go." _thought Ameyuri walking into the room and gasping at what she saw. Ameyuri's eyes widened seeing Naruto standing over a bloody and motionless Fuguki. "Pretty Boy..."

Naruto's head picked up at that having not paid attention to his sensory ability. Naruto turned around to see Ameyuri staring at him with wide eyes. Naruto looked at Fuguki and back to Ameyuri before putting up two hands in a placating manner.

"Ame-chan. It's not what you think." said Naruto as he began to slowly walk over to the red-head standing at the doorway. Ameyuri saw Naruto coming toward her and couldn't believe her eyes.

"You killed Fuguki-senpai..." said Ameyuri in a low tone. Naruto heard her though and just shook his head.

"No. When I came here, it was already like this. You believe me don't you?" questioned Naruto, stopping his advance to stand about 15 feet from Ameyuri. Ameyuri's mind fluttered with questions as she looked at the scene before her.

_"Pretty Boy would never do something like this...he's right." _thought Ameyuri in her head looking at Naruto. _"But it does look like he's been in a fight. No, Pretty Boy would never do something like this."_

Ameyuri continued to go back and forth in her mind as she processed the things in front of her. Naruto looked like he'd been beaten down recently and Fuguki seemed like his death just happened. But for Naruto to actually kill him, Ameyuri couldn't fathom it. That all changed with the appearance of Yagura.

"Ameyuri. Have you seen Naruto-kun? I heard rumors he killed Raiga and took the Kibas..." said Yagura walking over to the frozen kunoichi. Yagura noticed Ameyuri standing at the doorway before looking in to see Naruto standing there with his hands up. "Oh no...it is true."

"Pretty Boy..." said Ameyuri again in a low tone seeing Naruto continue to stand still. Ameyuri looked closer to indeed see the Kibas settled in the room next to Fuguki's body, and they looked used from the blood on them.

"Raiga's body was mangled up and he had lightning wounds reminiscent of Naruto's Hunter-nin victims.. I didn't want to believe it but it's true." said Yagura stepping into the room with Naruto, whom backed up at him walking in with him. "Naruto...you know the consequences of killing two high-ranking shinobi of this village."

"I didn't do it. I didn't do any of this." said Naruto before seeing another ninja appear next to Ameyuri in the doorway. Naruto grimaced seeing that it was one of the Seven Swordsmen, Jinin Akebino.

"Yagura-sama. There you are. It was reported that Naruto Hozuki released the Rebel prisoners from their cage." said Jinin before finally noticing the room before him. Jinin pulled out his 'sword', Kabutowari, which was actually a hammer connected by a chain to an ax. "You killed Fuguki! I always knew you were a traitor."

Jinin then rushed Naruto, whom only backed up at the swordsman's advance. Naruto dodged an overhead slam of Jinin's hammer before backing up at a slice aimed to cleave him in half. Naruto stood up straight though when he felt a sword appear at his neck.

"Ame-chan..." said Naruto. Ameyuri had grown faster, extremely fast, over the two years and moved swiftly enough to stand behind Naruto with one of her swords bathed in lightning chakra at his throat. Naruto heard a tear drop to the ground from behind him and realized Ameyuri was crying.

"Please tell me this is a Genjutsu.. I can't think that you killed two comrades." said Ameyuri before whispering. "They were even going to join our cause. So how could you?"

_"Join our cause..." _thought Naruto. _"Fuguki-senpai and Raiga-senpai both were avid Yagura followers. Ame-chan knows that...what the hell is going on?" _

Unknown to Naruto, Ameyuri's eyes glowed red for a second before returning to normal. Naruto could feel Ameyuri's chakra fluctuate before returning to its normal steadiness.

_"Genjutsu?" _thought Naruto before seeing Yagura just smile at him.

_"What will you do now Naruto-kun?" _thought Yagura. Naruto stood with Ameyuri's sword at his neck as Jinin walked up to the dangerous Hozuki clan member. Jinin moved his ax backwards ready to slice right into Naruto with one strike.

"I'm sorry Ame-chan." said Naruto before his sword appeared in his hand from the seal on his wrist. Naruto's sword had white lightning surging through it as it kept Ameyuri's sword from closing in on his neck. Jinin noticed the quick movement but was already ready to cut Naruto in half.

That plan didn't work though as Naruto spit out a powerful stream of water that sent him and Ameyuri out of Jinin's reach. The water stream flew at Yagura whom merely moved his flower staff off his back to block. Moving his flower staff down once the water was gone, Yagura noticed Naruto defending against the two sword assault from Ameyuri and the Kabutowari wielding Jinin with amazing skill in his mother's Kenjutsu.

_"Naruto's fighting has gotten much better. I haven't seen him actually fight in a while." _thought Yagura seeing him defend easily against the two swordsmen. Yagura then watched Naruto hold a half ram seal at Jinin before he turned and swung his sword down at Ameyuri, who put up a dual-bladed block. _"He's gotten better than expected. But then again, Jinin is the worst Swordsmen and Ameyuri is but a trainee. Neither of them are in the same class as Naruto." _

Naruto felt a build up of chakra come from Yagura before looking over at the Kage. At that moment, Naruto seemed to stalemate with Jinin and Ameyuri with his sword struggling against both of Ameyuri's and Jinin being stuck, paralyzed in a Genjutsu. Yagura had his Jinchuriki cloak on as he rushed out at Naruto.

Time seemed to slow down for Naruto as he watched the powerful Kage come flying at him. Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to use a jutsu in time with his other hand holding Ameyuri down. And even if he did, Ameyuri would strike him down when he tried to get Yagura with a jutsu.

_"Not enough time." _thought Naruto seeing Yagura come at him poised to strike with a coral palm. Naruto then felt something land in his free hand that he recognized and positioned right in between him and Yagura. Naruto felt Yagura come to a halt at hitting the sword in his hand as Yagura's chakra was drained by it in the same span of time.

"Run Naruto-kun. You can't win this fight." came a voice in Naruto's head. Naruto thought he was going crazy for a second before realizing what he was holding.

_"You can talk Samehada?!" _thought Naruto back in his head before realizing that the sword was right. He couldn't beat Yagura yet, even with Samehada. Especially considering Jinin would eventually break that Genjutsu and reinforcements would likely come to Yagura's aid.

Naruto knew he'd have his own assistance from Chojuro, Mangetsu, and others that believed the war was wrong. But Naruto didn't want to lose the advantage of having people in Yagura's camp that could help the Rebels, plus he might even lose some of them in the process.

Naruto noticed Yagura seemed to become wary of Samehada and stopped advancing to just stand in front of him, probably hatching a plan to get around the powerful sword. Naruto then looked over at Ameyuri to see her still holding her swords against his chokuto, though her face was downtrodden as she looked at Naruto. Naruto realized Ameyuri wasn't fighting him anymore as she should have easily overpowered his sword when he went to block Yagura.

"I'm sorry Ame-chan." said Naruto before mist entered the room. Yagura recognized the Mirage Mist immediately, breaking it, but in that second it took for him to do so, Naruto had already disappeared from the room.

_"So it has begun Naruto-kun." _thought Yagura standing in the room. _"I'll be seeing you I'm sure." _

_(Rebel Forces Island)_

Kirigakure was a collection of islands in the Land of Water. The main island housed Yagura and his army while the adjacent islands housed the Rebel Forces. The reason a rebellion could exist in Kirigakure and why so many missing-nin came out of the village was because the village wasn't one piece of land. Had it of been, the oppression of Yagura would have reigned supreme and any chance at rebellion would have been squashed immediately.

Luckily it wasn't and that made bloodline users like Mei happy. Mei was happier though, having brought all of the captured Rebel leaders back from the main land left the Rebel Army in high spirits.

_"Step one complete Naruto-kun. Hopefully all is well on your end." _thought Mei situated in her small home. Mei's home was nothing special because of the war, but it was still home. A one bedroom apartment that had a living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom.

Looking around her bedroom, Mei saw it had its one bed and a bookshelf full of scrolls and books that Mei had read over and over trying to gain as much knowledge as possible. Naruto stood in front of her bookshelf reading one of her scrolls before Mei looked over at her dresser from her seat on her bed. Located on the dresser next to her bed was a picture of Mei's Mother and Father. _"We're getting closer Tou-chan and Ka-chan." _

Mei's head then picked up when she realized Naruto was in her room. Mei turned her head back around to see Naruto standing there, reading one of her scrolls with one of the most feared swords on his back.

"I can explain." said Naruto as he rolled the scroll back up before turning toward the confused girl. "I'm a criminal now...and a rebel."

* * *

_(1 week later)_

"Naruto! Naruto! Naruto!" came the shouts of a man outside of Mei's home. Naruto awoke at his name being called having crashed on Mei's uncomfortable couch for the week. "Come out quick!"

Naruto moved slowly, yawning and stretching first before walking to the door. Naruto could feel there was no imminent danger near so he didn't feel the need to move quickly. He was tired and being woken up for nothing did not make him exactly compliant to orders.

_"Wonder what this is all about." _thought Naruto as he opened the door. Naruto saw a man holding up a wanted poster and a bingo book. Naruto's eyebrows raised seeing his face on the poster. _"Seems Yagura really didn't waste any time in making sure everyone knew I was a criminal. This doesn't make sense, I couldn't have killed Fuguki or Raiga...I was with Mei at the time." _

Naruto's brain had been trying to figure out who would want him to become a criminal in his home land like this but couldn't come up with the truth, especially considering he didn't have all the facts. Yagura did smile at him but if Yagura knew what he was doing, then why not just kill him. Naruto couldn't rationalize it in his head but forgot about it now as he read his wanted poster.

"Wanted for the murder of two high-ranking Jonin and thief of one of Kirigakure's Seven Swords, Samehada. 5,000,000 ryo if dead and 50,000,000 if alive." said Naruto with a raised eyebrow at that number. Naruto then grabbed the bingo book in the man's hand.

"Page 16." said the man as Naruto flipped to that page to see his Bingo book entry. Naruto had this bingo book entry since the Iwa Chunin Exams but it'd only been about what he showed at Iwa, never updating because no one in Kirigakure deemed it necessary to let the world know. That changed due to last week evidently.

**Name: Naruto Hozuki**

**Age: 13**

**Gender: Male**

**Origin: Uzushiogakure**

**Clan: Uzumaki Clan and Hozuki Clan**

**Affiliated with Kirigakure**

**Ninja Rank: Jonin, Hunter-nin**

**Physical Description: 5'6" tall, 135 pounds. Violet eyes and white spiky hair with two bangs framing either side of his face.**

**Rank: A-rank*, approach with extreme caution**

**Special Talents: Sensory ability is unmatched, range unknown. Sealing and Genjutsu expert. User of Kushina Uzumaki's Kenjutsu style. Hozuki clan member, can turn body into water at will. Powerful lightning affinity, color is white and has shown the ability to drop lightning from the sky.**

**Bounty: 5 million Ryo dead/50 million ryo alive stationed by Kirigakure. 15 million ryo alive or dead stationed by Iwagakure. 25 million ryo alive stationed by Otogakure.**

***Stole the legendary sword, Samehada, in retreat from Kirigakure, possible S-rank now.**

"That's never good." said Naruto after reading through his bingo book entry. After the Chunin exams, only Iwagakure stationed 15 million ryo for his head which wasn't enough to warrant anyone to come get him. But with Kirigakure stationing a 50 million Ryo bounty, Naruto became a much more wanted target. Not only that, Kirigakure put all of his skills up to date for the world to know.

The man in front of Naruto only nodded his head. "That it isn't Naruto-san. What happens now? Your plan of turning on Yagura and catching him when he's vulnerable can't happen if everyone in the mainland wants your head for what you did." said the man.

"Thank you. I will think of something." said Naruto as the man left Naruto alone to ponder on his new circumstances. Naruto stood staring at the rising sun for a while before hearing a voice behind him.

"What was it Naruto-kun?" came the voice of Mei at her doorway. Naruto turned toward the dual kekkai genkai Kunoichi. Mei stood at her doorway in only a shirt as Naruto could feel his blood pumping. Having been branded a criminal, Naruto decided to hide out with the rebels for now and Mei offered him the option to stay on her couch. Naruto was but a teenage boy and living in an apartment with Mei was torture on his growing desires, especially considering that she pulled off sexy effortlessly.

Naruto steeled himself though and just walked back toward Mei's home as the kunoichi just sidestepped to allow Naruto entrance.

"Just a wanted poster. I have something I need to do in Kirigakure. I'll be back tonight." said Naruto as he walked back in Mei's house. Mei noticed the look on Naruto's face and apparently he was determined to do whatever he needed to do. Naruto placed his vest on before brushing his teeth and stepping back into Mei's living room to see the kunoichi leaning on the wall next to the door.

"Just don't get caught..make sure you come back." said Mei slightly authoritative seeing Naruto put on his white belt that carried his water bottles. "We need you."

Naruto smiled hearing that as his face lightened up to look back at Mei. "That almost sounded like you need me Mei-chan." said Naruto smiling at Mei. Mei just rolled her eyes at that, smiling at the end. "I'll be back before you fall asleep. I promise."

Mei's heart started to pound seeing Naruto walk up and stand directly in front of her. Naruto wasn't the only one with desires, Mei had felt the same way since a week ago at the Waterfall lake. Not to mention all the tension that built up from the two sharing her apartment in the past week, it was bound to break at sometime.

But this, this was something out of a movie, out of a romance novel even. The guy having to do something and go away, the girl telling him to come back, and him making a promise to return eventually. And those moments always ended with a kiss. Mei was that kind of romantic so when she saw Naruto reach a hand out toward her face, Mei licked her lips unconsciously, ready to lip lock with Naruto.

Though Naruto's hand actually went past her and grabbed Samehada that sat behind her. Mei watched Naruto place the sword to his back as it latched to him with chakra, bringing Mei back to reality. Mei realized that this wasn't like one of the romance novels she read, this was real life.

_"But still...you couldn't dream up a better scenario than that." _thought Mei. Mei was then taken completely by surprise at Naruto's next sentence.

"I was going to kiss you, I even heard your heart pounding." said Naruto staring at Mei before just laughing sheepishly. "But I wasn't sure if that'd be weird or not. And if I was wrong, I apologize and I'd chalk it up to my lack of experience with something like this. So..I'll see you later."

Mei just stood frozen as Naruto patted her shoulder and vanished in a mist shunshin. Several seconds passed by before Mei shook her head at that.

_"Oh, you're going to regret that Naruto-kun." _thought Mei having seen the evil grin appear on Naruto's face right before he left. Naruto knew he could have kissed her, Naruto even knew that Mei wanted the kiss in return, and yet he just left her like this. Unsatisfied. _"Oh I have something for you later on Naruto-kun..." _

An evil grin appeared on Mei's face as she walked back into her room to get her day started and go over her plan to get back at Naruto.

_(Kirigakure)_

"Bye Ameyuri. I'll catch you tomorrow." came the voice of Chojuro, Ameyuri's teammate. Chojuro was waving to the red-head whom had been somber for the past week since Naruto's killing of two of the best swordsmen in Kirigakure's history.

Ameyuri just waved back at Chojuro before turning toward her own home. The red-head just had a training session with the blue-haired swordsmen as to get acclimated more to the swords now in her possession.

_"The Kibas." _thought Ameyuri seeing the swords strapped to her back in an X fashion. Yagura had gifted the swords to Ameyuri after Naruto's escape and she'd been using them since. And because she was given them off the premise of Naruto, every time she used them she thought of the Hozuki clan member.

Eventually Ameyuri arrived at her apartment, the apartment she was given after being released from the training facility two weeks after the Iwa Chunin Exam. She was given this apartment by Yagura due to her skill and most likely from her connection with Naruto. Ameyuri pulled out the keys to her apartment before opening the door. Ameyuri walked into darkness before flipping the light switch directly to her right.

A dim light shined through the apartment as Ameyuri closed the door. Upon closing it, Ameyuri's eyes widened when she turned to see Naruto standing behind her doorway.

"We need to talk." said Naruto holding the ram seal. Ameyuri's vision blurred for a second as Naruto trapped her in a Genjutsu. Five minutes passed by before Ameyuri awoke from the Genjutsu to see Naruto still standing there.

"Pretty Boy. You didn't do it." said Ameyuri with hope returning in her eyes as she stared at him. "It was just in the moment, I couldn't get it out of my mind and it felt like I wasn't even really in control of my thoughts. I mean at the end I sort of realized but still.."

"You were under a Genjutsu. Your chakra was unstable for a second and it was a powerful Genjutsu. I couldn't break it without time and even then, if I didn't feel your chakra fluctuate like that, I wouldn't have known." said Naruto before hearing a siren go off. Naruto recognized the siren as the village going on alert. "They know I'm here...Ao."

Naruto figured Ao must have scanned the village being an adequate sensor as well and noticed him standing in Ameyuri's room. Naruto put up a mist to hide himself and Ameyuri just in case Ao was still watching before looking at the red-head before him.

"I have to go." said Naruto as Ameyuri just nodded her head. Before Naruto could make a move to leave, Ameyuri wrapped him up in a hug. Naruto grew surprised at the hug but nevertheless hugged Ameyuri right back.

"Be safe Naruto-kun. Whenever you're ready to take down Yagura, I'll be ready. And I'll make sure everybody else is ready as well." said Ameyuri. Ameyuri could feel her grip on the hug loosening due to her chakra being absorbed. Ameyuri figured Naruto needed to give the girl an alibi and leaving her unconscious would give her just enough plausible deniability to seem innocent.

"Stay safe, Ame-chan." said Naruto just as Ameyuri went limp in his hands. Naruto placed the girl on her couch before going off to get what he really needed.

_(Later that night)_

"Yagura-sama. Naruto Hozuki entered the village earlier today before taking out Ameyuri Ringo, stealing some of her possessions before heading to his apartment. Upon inspection, nothing was taken from his room but the Uzumaki seal on the floor vanished." came the voice of Ao as he spoke to his leader. "Even with the village on high alert, the boy still managed to disable several chunin guards and leave a path of bodies on his way out of the village."

Yagura just nodded his head. "No causalities if I'm correct?" questioned Yagura as Ao just nodded. "Seems the boy really did come back for it. I should have known he would."

"What did he come back for? What was in that seal?" questioned Ao as Yagura just looked out of his window.

"His inheritance. The things his mother left him." said Yagura as Ao grew shocked at that. "And it's certain to not bode well for us in the future since he finally opened the rest of it."

* * *

**Review or shoot me a pm**

**-Hamp Out**


	11. Changes

**WOOOOOO! I'M PUMPED! CHAPTER ELEVEN! ENJOY!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. You guys are funny. Last chap I wrote solely off a drinking binge from bringing in the New Year. Some of you suggested I keep going and so..I did, two nights ago. Hennessy Experiment part Deaux didn't do as well as the first, only finishing half the chapter this time. But it still got another chapter out sooner than later. Hennessy + Fanfiction = Hamp Updating Faster. Who could of thunk it?

* * *

**Chapter 11: Changes**

"Naruto-kun. I think you can stop running."came the voice of Samehada in Naruto's head. Naruto had been running for a while now after traveling to Kirigakure's main land and retrieving his inheritance. Being a criminal now meant Naruto couldn't stay in the Main land and needed to seek refuge again back with Mei and the Rebels.

Naruto heard the voice in his head but disregarded it as he just continued sprinting. There was no danger around but there would be if Naruto didn't continue his sense of urgency.

_"Can't do that Same-chan." _thought Naruto in reply as he looked up to see the sky dark and the moon overhead. It was 7 pm currently and Naruto had a deadline to reach. _"If I don't make it back before Mei-chan falls asleep, she'll kick my ass and I'll be breaking a promise." _

Naruto felt Samehada wiggle against his back almost as if it was shaking its head at him.

"You shouldn't have done that to that girl. It's going to backfire."said Samehada before adding. "I may not have a true brain but I'm smart enough to know that situations like that always end back for the guy."

_"Pshh. Of course you'd think that Same-chan, being a girl and all. But I'm not your average dude, I'm Naruto Hozuki." _thought Naruto in reply.

"What makes you think I'm a girl? Is that why you say chan?" questioned Samehada. "I am a sword, I have no gender."

Naruto just smiled at that. _"Of course you're a woman Same-chan. You have to be." _thought Naruto.

"How do you figure?" questioned Samehada.

_"For one, the most powerful shinobi I've ever known is my ka-chan. She took on two Bijuu and won, killing one of them. And you're the most powerful sword so one point for girl." _thought Naruto before hearing Samehada offer a rebuttal.

"The most powerful man in history is the Sage of Six Paths so..." replied Samehada as Naruto nodded.

_"You're right. But since you know about the Sage of Six Paths that means you've been around for a while right?" _questioned Naruto feeling Samehada 'nod'. _"Damn. Then you must be old. How old are you?" _

The skull at the end of Samehada's hilt tapped against Naruto's head as the sword let out a 'huff' at that question.

"Old! You're calling me old?!" said Samehada. Naruto just nodded his head.

_"That makes you a woman in my eyes. Only woman complain about their age. Argument over." _said Naruto again as he reached the end of the main island. Water greeted Naruto as he just smiled. _"This will be fun. Same-chan, can you dissolve yet?" _

"Hmph." said the sentient Sword.

_"Aww. Don't be that way. I didn't mean it." _thought Naruto as Samehada just continued to give him the silent treatment. _"I'll make it up to you. We'll go attack some squids tomorrow." _

"Squid?" questioned Samehada as Naruto just nodded. "You have a deal. And no, not yet. We haven't synced all the way yet."

_"Damn. That means I have to run across this." _thought Naruto with a disheartened tone. Naruto found out from his last time going to the Rebel Islands that Samehada couldn't turn to water like he could, even when attached to him and using his chakra. So he had to run all the way across the water and that took him forever to do so.

"Or you can just put me in a seal." said Samehada as Naruto perked up at that. "Only for the trip over. You better take me out of there when you get back on land, I hate seals. It's creepy in there."

_"You got a deal Same-chan. See you in a second." _thought Naruto placing Samehada in the seal on his wrist before stepping out into the water. When Naruto's foot touched the water, he vanished into it entirely.

_(With Jiraiya - Same Time)_

Jiraiya the Toad Sage, a powerful man and famous Toad Summoner was a peaceful man. A peaceful man with a dream to create world peace where everyone understood everyone. It'd been a dream of Jiraiya's since the Second World War and he hadn't stopped hoping for it.

That's why Jiraiya was happy when the Elder Toad Sage told him a new prophecy after the death of Minato, whom he thought was the first child of prophecy to bring about peace. Now Jiraiya was certain Naruto was the child of prophecy as he was the only one that fit the Elder Toad Sage's description. But apparently, something went wrong.

"Why did the prophecy change?!" shouted Jiraiya at the old toad in front of him. Jiriaya had been summoned to the realm of the toads with news of a new prophecy being told.

An old toad, whom sat upon a throne peered his old eyes at Jiraiya.

"I don't rightly know. The prophecy changed about a week ago." replied the old toad as Jiraiya face fell at that.

"A whole week. You waited a week to tell me this?" questioned Jiraiya with slight anger.

"I fell asleep before I told someone to get you." said the Toad Sage causing Jiraiya to throw a mild tantrum.

"What! That doesn't even make sense." said Jiraiya looking dead at the Elder Toad Sage. "You've been telling me this prophecy stuff for years and was always on time. But this time you fell asleep? And for a whole week?"

The Elder Toad Sage heard Jiraiya's words and looked at the white-haired man in front of him. A few seconds passed by before the Toad Sage spoke again.

"Who are you?" questioned the Toad as Jiraiya just grabbed the bridge of his nose and began to walk away.

_"A man with scales will bring about world change, total destruction or world peace." _thought Jiraiya walking with a purpose now as his priorities changed. _"And the Elder Toad Sage said he looked like the boy of spiraling water. What the hell happened Naruto.."_

Jiraiya set out to find the reason for such a drastic change in the prophecy and the only one who could answer that was Naruto.

* * *

_(Kirigakure - Rebel Island)_

"Made it." said Naruto reaching Mei's home. Naruto could feel Mei was still awake as instead of being in her bedroom, she was currently in the bathroom.

"Way to go Naruto-kun. Now hurry up and get in there. I'm tired." said Samehada as Naruto just obliged to the sword's request, wondering how the sword could get tired being funneled by his chakra. Nevertheless, Naruto just opened the door and stepped inside.

Opening the door, Naruto heard water running and realized Mei must be showering. Naruto just put Samehada down against the wall to allow the sword to 'sleep' before he walked over to the couch. Naruto went to face plant into the couch before realizing that the couch looked more lumpy than before and downright uncomfortable.

_"What happened to the couch?" _thought Naruto. Naruto sat on the lumpy couch and realized that it'd be impossible to sleep on this, especially considering it was already impossible beforehand. _"Kami. What the hell happened while I was gone?" _

The water from the shower turned off as Naruto just shook his head at the couch's condition and waited for Mei to come out so he could ask. Realizing that Mei would get dressed inside the bathroom first, due to her rules so that the two wouldn't catch each other naked, Naruto decided to pull out his inheritance in the meantime.

Naruto pulled out a small red scroll from his ninja pouch that was sealed shut with an elaborate Fuinjutsu.

_"Ka-chan's last scroll." _thought Naruto having opened the first three. The first sealing scroll gave Naruto his sealing book, it was opened by his Orphanage Mother when he first began his journey as a ninja. The book was a collection of notes from Kushina that Naruto studied thoroughly to become better at the obscure art.

The second scroll of four contained his mother's sword along with a Kenjutsu book detailing katas for his mother's reverse grip style. That scroll was opened by Naruto himself once he achieved a higher level of Fuinjutsu from his sealing book. That's how the scrolls worked. Each with a higher level seal on it that required skill in Fuinjutsu to open.

_"2, 4, 6, 8." _thought Naruto having remembered that the 3rd scroll was opened a little while after he turned 11. That scroll contained tons of Ryo, his mother's journal filled with events in her life, and a key. The key was actually integral in opening the last scroll that Naruto had as Naruto finally understood it was a Fuinjutsu key. _"A Hakke Fuin. Two Four Symbols Seal put together. How did you come up with something like that Ka-chan?" _

Naruto sat holding the scroll about to open it before noticing the door to the bathroom open. Naruto looked over toward the door ready to ask Mei why the couch was so messed up and gloat about how he made it back in time.

That never happened though as Naruto's brain shut down on him. The scroll in Naruto's hand dropped as Mei came out of the bathroom garbed in but only a towel, a very small towel that left next to nothing to the imagination as it barely covered her most modest areas.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I forgot to bring my clothes into the bathroom with me because I didn't know you were coming back so soon. Excuse me for a second." said Mei walking pass Naruto with a sway of her hips and closer than she had to be. Mei just smiled seeing Naruto just sit frozen on the couch as she closed the door to her bedroom to get dressed.

Seven minutes passed by before Mei came back into the living room in only a shirt and shorts. Naruto was dressed in just black pants having taken a quick cold shower from Mei's earlier actions.

"Good evening Naruto-kun." said Mei looking at the shirtless body of Naruto. Mei realized Naruto was trying to get back at her by being shirtless and it was working, but she wouldn't let Naruto know that.

Naruto just looked up at Mei with a smile. "Good evening to you too Mei-chan." said Naruto. Mei just smiled back before noticing the scroll in Naruto's hand.

"That's what you went back for? A scroll?" questioned Mei before walking over to stand next to Naruto sitting on the couch.

_"Oh that's just unfair." _thought Naruto in his head getting a whiff of Mei's perfume. _"Don't show weakness Naruto. Don't show weakness." _

"Yes. It's a scroll that my mother left for me." said Naruto showing Mei the scroll as the pretty girl just nodded at it.

"Fuinjutsu. So your mother was an Uzumaki, the reason you wear Uzumaki. It's half your DNA" said Mei. "And that's where you get your smarts from. She made the scrolls hard to open with Fuinjutsu, not only making it so no one else could open them but so that you'd take up after your Uzumaki roots and learn Fuinjutsu."

Naruto just laughed slightly and smiled. "Correct you are. Though there are others who know sealing Mei-chan. The only way you can open these scrolls is if you have a drop of my mom's blood, or DNA." said Naruto as Mei nodded.

"Your mom really thought ahead I see." said Mei.

"Well they were at War and I guess she realized that eventually they would lose so she prepared for my future." said Naruto, who closed his eyes and grimaced slightly as if he was in pain. His departure from Kirigakure hadn't come without getting hurt, even if Samehada healed the external wounds, he could still feel the pain slightly. Mei noticed that and another evil grin showed on her face.

"You okay Naruto-kun?" said Mei placing a hand to Naruto's shoulder. Mei's hands were extremely soft as she began to massage his shoulder slowly. "Oh my, you're tense. Must have been rough in Kiri today. How about a massage?"

Mei's other hand reached to Naruto's other shoulder before she began massaging the Hozuki clan member before her. Naruto just reveled in the feeling of Mei's hands, closing his eyes and careful not to make a sound letting her know he enjoyed it.

_"That's why the couch is lumpy. This uncomfortable couch was to get me to feel crappy and then she'd offer me a massage. Sneaky she is." _thought Naruto as he could feel the evil grin on Mei's face as she continued her ministrations. _"Her plan worked faster though because of my trip to Kiri-Oh! that's the spot. Damn she's good at this." _

Mei just continued to rub Naruto's shoulders and back as her plan seemed to work but it did come at a price.

_"Naruto-kun's body is so tight and hard." _thought Mei as she continued massaging him. _"Oh he flexed on purpose...I think it's time for the heavy artillery." _

Naruto felt Mei stop her massage as he opened his eyes to see Mei heading to her room. Naruto looked to see Mei stretching her arms over her head in a yawn, showing that she was tired. Though Naruto's eyes were lowered seeing her shirt rise with the stretch and seeing only a pair of panties.

_"Wait. Wasn't she wearing shorts..." _thought Naruto having seen her wearing shorts when she came out of the room. Naruto then raised his head to see Mei smirking at him.

"Like what you see?" questioned Mei. Naruto just nodded his head dumbly as Mei opened the door to her room. "Well, why not keep staring then?"

Naruto's eyebrows raised at that. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" questioned Naruto as Mei just nodded her head.

"The couch looks mighty uncomfortable and we are two responsible and sensible people, we can share a bed." said Mei as she walked into her room. Naruto sat still for a second not believing what he just heard.

_"This has to be apart of some kind of plan. There's no way." _thought Naruto sitting still for a few more seconds. Naruto then smacked himself in the face before dropping his mother's scroll on the couch. _"The hell is wrong with me. When a pretty girl asks you to join her in bed. You do just that."_

_ (3 hours later)_

_"Torture. Pure Torture." _thought Naruto laying in bed with Mei. Mei had been trying to get comfortable and continued moving in the bed to find the 'sweet spot'. Mei's bed was only so big in that, each time she moved, she rubbed up against Naruto, who grew more and more uncomfortable with each passing second due to a certain part of his anatomy.

Mei just smiled as she laid with her back to Naruto on one side of the bed while he laid with his face to the ceiling on the other side. Mei knew Naruto was trying to control himself and she grew more determined in trying to get him to his breaking point.

_"You will break first Naruto-kun." _thought Mei before moving again to get comfortable. Naruto felt Mei's perfect rear ground into his side as he shivered trying to control himself from doing what every fiber in his body was telling him to do.

_"I could just leave...but that would show weakness. And I can't..." _thought Naruto stuck in that conflicted place mentally. Naruto could have easily left but attributed his staying to the fact that deep down, he must be a masochist. _"I am a ninja. And a ninja is a person who endures. I will endure this and get back at her somehow. She won't beat me." _

"Fuck.." said Naruto in barely a whisper as Mei turned over and draped a leg and arm around him.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I'm just having a bad dream. Do you mind if I cuddle with you?" questioned Mei innocently. Naruto didn't make a peep and just slowly nodded his head as Mei snuggled into him some more. If Naruto could see Mei's face, he'd see the evil grin showing on it as she closed her eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber, happy with how today went.

_(Next Morning)_

"Another Cold Shower Naruto-kun? You okay?" questioned Mei as Naruto came out of the bathroom clad in his white vest with the Uzumaki Insignia on the back, light grey pants and grey sandals. Naruto heard Mei's question but looking at her face, Naruto realized she was saying something else.

_You're going to break first Naruto-kun_

Naruto just looked at Mei with a smile. "Of course I'm okay. I just like the cold of the water. Wakes me up." said Naruto seeing Mei wear a plain white shirt with blue pants and blue sandals. Mei noticed Naruto's own face as a silent conversation was shared in between the words they spoke

_So you're saying you want me to break then Mei-chan_

Mei just smiled back. "Well come on then. I need to train a bit and why not have a sparring partner." said Mei.

_Oh I do and I know you will. It's only a matter of time _

Naruto just nodded his head. "Well let's have at it then. I haven't had a good spar in a while." said Naruto reaching for Samehada, still leaning against the wall.

_I'm going to wear your pretty little self out if I ever do_

Mei just smiled as she lead Naruto out of her home and to a training ground. Several people noticed the two walking through the makeshift village and realized what they were about to do. One man was ready to tell everyone to come watch but a stern shake of the head from Naruto told him everything he needed to know.

_"Oh. Shit." _thought the Man realizing it was about to get real destructive in a second between the two ninjas.

* * *

_(Training Ground - 15 minutes later)_

"She really is going to break you Naruto-kun." came the voice of Samehada in Naruto's head. Naruto was in the process of dodging another spray of lava from Mei as he jumped far back from the kunoichi.

_"I'll put you in that lava if you're not careful Same-chan." _thought Naruto in reply before spraying out a massive amount of water. The water hit the lava before cooling it into rock. Naruto then felt the hilt of Samehada hit the top of his head. _"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Heat of the moment. I need positive thoughts around here." _

"I understand but that was a little extreme don't you think. Here she comes again." said Samehada in Naruto's head as he saw Mei running toward him with her hands in the snake seal. Naruto put Samehada down behind him realizing that trying to stop the lava was more troublesome to the sword than it was helping him stop it.

"I love when people cool my lava." said Mei as the ground around her began to crack. "Because it just gives me Earth to manipulate. **Doton: Gansetsukon (Earth Style: Rock Section Cane)" **

The ground cracked some more and out came a spear made of rock. Mei grabbed the rapidly cooled Lava before chucking it at Naruto. Naruto dodged the first one but Mei pulled more out and continued tossing them at him.

Growing tired of dodging, Naruto's chokuto appeared in his hands as he sliced through the pieces of rock with lightning coated swings. Naruto then made his way to Mei, who only readied for his attack.

Naruto put his sword back in his seal to face off against Mei in Taijutsu. Naruto moved his head down to dodge a roundhouse from Mei before coming up with two punches of his own.

Mei planted her foot in the ground before bending back at the waist to dodge the punches. Mei then did a back hand spring, kicking at Naruto before landing back up right a few feet away. Naruto had moved his chin back to evade Mei's kick before sprinting back at the auburn-haired kunoichi.

The two then kicked the fight up a notch as they came at each other faster. Mei's Taijutsu was graceful and her flexibility was just as incredible as her speed. Naruto was free-flowing like the water he was 'made' out of and incredibly fast just like Mei. Their styles were too similar and as such, after 5 minutes, neither had gotten a hit on the other. Until now.

Mei dodged another jab by Naruto before kicking out at his stomach. Mei's grew happy when her foot made contact but her excitement left as Naruto's stomach merely turned to water that gripped her foot.

"Gotcha." said Naruto before sweeping Mei's other foot, sending her to her back before he backed up, releasing Mei's foot from his stomach.

**"Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu (Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique)" **said Mei from her back before she sent out another wave of lava. Naruto sidestepped the lava as Mei stood back up to face Naruto.

"Is that all you got? I thought people said you were my equal?" questioned Mei as Naruto just smiled.

"Heh. I'm just getting started." said Naruto before putting a hand to the side of his lip. "By the way, you still got some lava there."

Mei felt the lava on her lip and wiped it away with her hand. Though the way she did it sent another shiver down Naruto's spine.

_"Why was that so hot?" _thought Naruto in his head before shaking the shivers away. Naruto then placed a hand in a half ram seal. _"**Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)**" _

Mei watched as an blanketing mist began to enter the field as Naruto vanished from sight. Mei picked her hand up to see just how strong the mist was and could barely see her own hand.

_"That's pretty good Naruto-kun. But still falls short." _thought Mei before placing her hands in the horse seal then the ram seal. _"**Futton: Joukigakure no Jutsu (Boil Style: Hidden Boil Technique)**"_

Naruto sat ten feet behind Mei with Samehada in his hand. Naruto did feel Mei build up chakra but when nothing happened, Naruto figured she thought this was a Genjutsu. That all changed when Naruto's skin began to heat up and he could feel himself evaporating.

"Damn. I forgot about your other kekkai genkai." said Naruto feeling his skin sizzle as he ended his technique.

Mei's jutsu was special in that she could take the existing water vapor in the air and just increase it's acidity to her liking, harming those within the mist. But she did need a pre-existing mist either created by her or by in this case, Naruto. Without the mist, her technique would disappear from lack of foundation.

"I noticed." said Mei with a smile, turning to Naruto after going through six hand seals, ending with the ram seal. "**Yoton: Kagendan (Lava Style: Fiery Rock Bullet)**"

Mei then blew out a large lava ball at Naruto, who dodged the lava ball before stopping and turning his head to the left. Mei was ready to fire off another lava ball before realizing Naruto had stopped moving and wasn't paying attention to her.

"Naruto-kun? Do you sense somebody?" questioned Mei as Naruto continued to look to his left. Mei looked the same direction as she walked over to the stagnant swordsman. Just as Mei reached Naruto, he turned his head to her.

"I'm sorry Mei-chan. I have to go..." said Naruto as Mei looked at him with a questioning gaze. Seeing the same stern face, Mei just smiled.

"Make sure you come back." said Mei before adding. "We need you."

Naruto's face lightened up at that. "That one definitely sounded like you need me Mei-chan." said Naruto staring at Mei. Mei didn't roll her eyes this time and just nodded her head slightly.

"I just might." said Mei looking into Naruto's eyes. Naruto noticed the look in Mei's eyes and just smiled.

"Well then..." said Naruto before moving his head forward. Mei's eyes closed naturally just as Naruto was but an inch from putting his mouth on hers. Mei felt contact on her lips as her heart pounded hard before slowing down realizing that it wasn't another pair of lips. Opening her eyes, Mei noticed just mist in her face from Naruto disappearing in a mist shunshin.

_"Damn. He got me again." _thought Mei seeing the mist float up away from her. Mei just shook her head with a smile before walking back to her apartment.

_(With Naruto)_

Naruto appeared in a mist shunshin, having needed several to get nearly a mile from where he and Mei were at. Naruto appeared atop a lake before turning his head out to see the two members of Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Sasori. The same two members from the Chunin Exam in Iwagakure.

"Kukukuku, Naruto-kun. You've grown well." came the voice of the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, as he looked at Naruto. The Mist from Naruto's shunshin began to spread and fade out of sight as Orochimaru just smiled. "And my my, a new addition. Is that Samehada?"

"You both look the same. I'm assuming you both are here about what you asked me during the Chunin Exams." said Naruto as the puppet that was Sasori nodded his head.

"I like this kid. Doesn't waste my time." said Sasori. "So what is your answer Naruto. You hire us, we help you end the war. If so, then you join us in our organization and help our leader achieve his goals."

"And if I was to say no?" said Naruto tensing up as he felt Orochimaru build up chakra.

"Who's to say you can say no Naruto-kun. You're a criminal now. Forever branded as a traitor." said Orochimaru with a snake-like grin. Naruto just picked his hand up as his chokuto appeared. Naruto slammed his sword straight into the ground as a hiss sounded off.

"I understand that. But I can't rightly ask for your help knowing I'd be helping an organization with the likes of Orochimaru in it." said Naruto.

"Why Orochimaru?" questioned Sasori as Naruto just picked his sword up.

"Because he treats me as if I'm a child. That snake just now underground was terrible." said Naruto flicking his sword out, sending the blood off it. "Not to mention-"

Naruto's sentence was cut off as Orochimaru now stood behind him with his teeth sunken deep into his neck. Naruto's veins bulged around the bite as Orochimaru just smiled.

"I've grown pretty strong." said Naruto behind Orochimaru. Orochimaru's eyes widened when the Naruto in front of him disappeared as if he was never there.

_"Genjutsu. When did he?" _thought Orochimaru turning around to see Naruto still standing atop the lake. Orochimaru just smiled. _"You intrigue me Naruto-kun." _

"Understood. We will be back Naruto. You will need us." said Sasori before turning around. "Come on Orochimaru. Let the boy watch more his comrades die. Then he will call for our help."

Orochimaru just continued to smile at Naruto before eventually turning and also walking away. Naruto stood still for several minutes before dropping to a knee atop the water.

_"What kind of animals are those guys? It took so much chakra to hold them in that Genjutsu." _thought Naruto. When Naruto landed in that mist Shunshin, Naruto secretly activated his Mirage Genjutsu using the small amount of mist from his shunshin. Orochimaru and Sasori were none the wiser but it still took a lot out of him. _"I need to get stronger. But how?"_

Samehada could feel Naruto's worry about his friends in that he believed he wasn't and wouldn't be strong enough when the time came. Samehada had only been with Naruto for a week, two years plus really when you count his training with Fuguki, and had grown a liking to Naruto. Especially considering who he really was to the sentient sword. So Samehada decided to help the young man.

"Naruto-kun. Go home and open your inheritance. Then I'll show you something special." said Samehada as Naruto just nodded at the sword. Samehada gave Naruto some of the chakra it managed to steal from Orochimaru and from Mei in their spar as Naruto felt rejuvenated.

_"That is probably the best thing ever." _thought Naruto feeling the chakra funnel to him from Samehada. The red marks from Mei's jutsu died down and healed as Naruto vanished in a shunshin.

* * *

_(With Mei)_

Naruto had been gone for a while and in that time it made Mei worry. Mainly because unlike last time, Mei didn't rightly know what Naruto was doing or where he was going. But Mei had other duties to attend to and did just that. Spending two hours with other Rebel Captains and formulating plans for the next battle was on the list.

After she finished that though, Mei's mind wondered back to the swordsman who'd basically become a roommate. Mei just smiled to herself though.

_"It's only been two hours and I'm already worried. That's crazy." _thought Mei before deciding to head back home and wait for him. Arriving back at her apartment, Mei opened the front door to see Naruto standing in her living room. _"Every time you think of this guy, he just shows up." _

"Naruto-kun. You're back" said Mei as she shut the door. Naruto turned toward the Auburn-haired kunoichi before smiling.

"Hey Mei-chan." said Naruto. Mei noticed the scroll in Naruto's hand and realized he opened it. Mei walked over to Naruto before standing next to him and peeking at the scroll.

Mei read it a bit. "It's about your father." said Mei with slight shock before looking at Naruto.

"Yes. Shugetsu Hozuki, the son of the Nidaime Mizukage." said Naruto. "I also saw his name elsewhere..above Fuguki's name on the Shark Summoner list. My father was a wielder of Samehada."

"What happened to him?" questioned Mei as Naruto just shook his head.

"I don't rightly know. But I'm sure I'll find out." said Naruto, though he looked at Samehada who leaned against the wall. "But that's not all to the scroll Mei-chan. I have to go to Uzushiogakure. There's something there for me, it's the final part of my inheritance."

"You just keep leaving huh?" questioned Mei with a bit of sadness in her tone. Having Naruto for a week had already grown on her and now he'd be leaving again, for who knows how long. "I'm guessing you'll be gone longer this time. How long do you think?"

Naruto just shook his head. "I don't rightly know Mei-chan. It could be a week or it could be a year. I won't know until I get there." said Naruto as Mei's pout seemed to deepen at that.

"Well what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" questioned Mei crossing her arms under her chest. "What am I going to tell the rebels? Naruto-kun joined our cause but now he's gone for an indeterminable amount of time. Everyone was so happy that you came and now you're just leaving again."

"You'll do the same thing you did when I was taking out Rebel Leaders for Yagura. Keep giving them hope. I know you can do it." said Naruto smiling at Mei. Mei's pout lessen slightly at the smiling face of Naruto before watching him walk over to Samehada and set it against his back. Even though Naruto's words and smile comforted her, she couldn't help but ask the question most people ask when someone was going away.

"And what if something bad happens to you?" questioned Mei. Naruto frowned slightly at that before walking over and placing his face directly in front of Mei's. Mei's heart started to pound at Naruto being so close as her green eyes looked directly into his violet ones.

"Hey now, don't talk like that. I will be back Mei-chan, I promise." said Naruto earnestly in front of Mei. Mei had heard that same line before but that was for a day, this was for upwards to a year maybe. Not to mention, Naruto had a 50 million bounty on his head. He was going to be attacked by anyone who recognized him. Mei's eyebrows moved down as she leveled a glare at Naruto.

"You better come back. And you better write me letters or anything. Something so that I know you're still alive." started Mei as Naruto realized where this was going. "Not only that but I want updates on your progress so I can tell everyone. Oh and don't forget to-Mmmphh"

Mei's questions halted as Naruto had leaned in a few inches to cover her mouth with his. Like a dam breaking, all the tension from this past week and more was melted away in one kiss. Mei's glare ended as her eyes closed and she kissed Naruto back. They held the kiss for 5 seconds as Naruto stopped and gave Mei a few more pecks before speaking again.

"You sound like a worried girlfriend Mei-chan." said Naruto as Mei opened her eyes to see Naruto smiling at her again, still but a few inches away.

"I can't be your girlfriend." said Mei, leaning in to kiss Naruto some more. "We're too young. You're a criminal. And you leave too much."

Mei's arms had found their way around Naruto's neck whose own arms were wrapped around Mei's waist. Mei kissed Naruto again before Naruto pulled back.

"Well one day, all of those won't be true." said Naruto looking at Mei.

"Can't wait." said Mei, leaning in to kiss Naruto one last time before Naruto moved away from the Auburn-haired girl. Naruto's arms left Mei's waist as her arms slithered from around his neck.

"I'll be back. And every week, I'll send a shark with an update." said Naruto walking to Mei's door. "I promise."

Naruto turned to Mei one last time to see the auburn-haired girl waving at him. Naruto waved back before opening the door and stepping through it.

"You broke first." said Mei in a whisper, knowing Naruto would hear it. Mei just smiled to herself hearing Naruto shout obscenities as he walked out the door. Naruto was heading off to his mother's home village, Uzushiogakure, and hopefully he'd return ready to officially fight against Yagura.

* * *

**Review or shoot me a pm**

**-Hamp out**


	12. Training

**Hennessy is amazing. Hopefully, so shall Chapter Twelve. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. In the meantime, my name is Hamp24 and I am an alcoholic. I write Fanfiction for a hobby and in doing so, I consume copious amounts of Hennessy to write said Fanfiction. I believe it started with my readers some time after the New Year. They encouraged me and I just wanted to give my readers what they wanted.

While I'm sure I should be saying that in an actual AA meeting, I couldn't find one. So I said it here. I believe it still counts, right?

* * *

**Chapter 12: Training**

"Uzushiogakure. This is my mother's home." said Naruto standing in the middle of where Uzu used to stand. A place revered in the world as home of one of the most powerful clans in history, the Uzumaki Clan. One of the most beautiful places on Earth, turned ruins in a matter of days. "Damn. I wonder what this place would have looked like before it was destroyed."

Naruto stood dead center in the heart of Uzu as he looked around. Uzu was a valley and the village was split down the middle by a river that flowed through it. Naruto could see elaborate swirl markings on all the buildings and the marble they were made out of.

_"So that's why ka-chan had so much money. How rich was the Uzumaki Clan?" _thought Naruto to himself as he continued walking through the village. Naruto then heard a voice in his head that came from the sword strapped to his back.

"Naruto-kun. They were sealing experts. They sold their seals and made a lot of money. One of the most profitable villages in all the Elemental Nations." came the voice of Samehada in Naruto's head.

_"That makes sense. But man, this stuff is so elaborate." _thought Naruto continuing through the village, admiring the architecture.

"Yes. I remember this village well. Your father came here on a pick up for Kiri and that's where he met your mother." said Samehada. "It was love at first sight but nevertheless, they were from different villages and he had to go back home. He had no clue about you at all sadly. Neither did I."

_"Right. Dying by Fuguki-senpai and Yagura's hands." _thought Naruto. Naruto's fist clenched slightly at that thought. _"All because my father was against the bloodline war. He killed him..." _

Samehada could feel Naruto's anger rising the more he thought about it. Samehada also realized this would be good for Naruto's future as well, he'd need a reason to get stronger for what the sword was about to tell him.

"Naruto-kun. You remember that surprise I had for you?" questioned Samehada as Naruto just nodded his head. "Well it's about your shark summoner status. There's more to it. At least for someone like you."

Naruto jumped over a fallen pillar as he continued walking, heading to the destination labeled on his mother's map.

_"There's more to being a shark summoner? I know about all the types." _thought Naruto before his head snapped up. Naruto pulled out a scroll, scribbling a few paragraphs on it before walking over to the river next to him.

**"Kuchiyose (Summoning)" **said Naruto after biting his thumb. A tiny shark appeared in the river as Naruto placed the scroll in its mouth. The shark understood its role as it turned and sped off in the water toward Kirigakure. "Almost forgot to send that to Mei. She would of had a fit."

"Is that why you went with a Mako shark? The fastest one. Because you're that scared of your girlfriend?" questioned Samehada as Naruto just shook his head.

_"Just because we kissed doesn't make her my girlfriend Same-chan. I'm only 13, I'm not ready to settle down." _replied Naruto before continuing with what he was doing and getting back on Samehada's conversation. _"Now what was it you that you were saying, there's more to being a Shark summoner? Like what?" _

"Get over on top of the ocean and I'll show you." said Samehada as Naruto just nodded his head. Naruto continued walking through Uzu before reaching the outskirts of the small village. Settling about 20 feet into the water, Naruto waited for instructions. "You're going to need more water for this."

_"How much are we talking?" _questioned Naruto before Samehada just beckoned him out further. Naruto now stood about 100 feet in the ocean surrounding Uzu as Samehada deemed he was far enough.

"I've only had one summoner who's chakra was already big enough, by itself to do something like this. Kisame could have been because his chakra levels were pretty decent but nevertheless, you are the first one in a while." said Samehada as Naruto nodded.

_"Thank you Ka-chan for the Uzumaki blood." _thought Naruto having had large chakra reserves since birth thanks to the vitality that was ever present in his mother's clan. _"So I have a lot of chakra? What does that grant me?" _

"The thing is, you can't summon this type of shark or use this ability unless you inherently have a large chakra." said Samehada. "You can't borrow chakra from me. Or the chakra I steal, you have to be able to do this on your own. And I think you can."

_"What? What? What is it?" _questioned Naruto as Samehada just wiggled as if excited.

"Yes. I believe you can. Just summon a shark." said Samehada. Before Naruto could react to having to do a mundane task he'd done plenty of times as a surprise, Samehada added. "But summon a shark bigger than a Great white. I'm talking the biggest Great White you can imagine, summon something nearly 4 times it's size."

_"What? There's no shark that big?" _questioned Naruto in his head as Samehada just tapped him on the head.

"Just do it." said Samehada as Naruto just nodded his head. Naruto bit his thumb before flashing through the hand seals and building up his chakra. Naruto placed every bit of chakra he could into his palm before placing his hand to the water's surface.

_"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)**" _thought Naruto as an enormous seal spread out underneath his hand. Naruto felt his chakra leave him, nearly 5 times the amount it took to summon a Great White as his eyes widened. From the seal underneath Naruto, a massive shadow came barreling out of it and plunged further down into the ocean. Naruto made out that it had a shark's appearance but it was way too large to be an ordinary shark.

Sensing its wielder's wonder at what he summoned, Samehada just 'smiled'.

"Megalodon." said Samehada. Naruto's eyes still were wide as the large shark began to surface and stare at him. "The Sages of the ocean. What do you know about Senjutsu Naruto-kun?"

* * *

_(Kirigakure - 1 week later)_

"Thank you ma'am." came the voice of a white haired man thanking a woman in a shop. This man was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage from Konoha. The woman in the shop didn't know that though and just smiled before waving him away with a 'come back soon'. Jiraiya turned around to look at the village he hadn't seen since the Ninja War times, at least officially. Unofficially he hadn't been back in several months and times changed drastically, especially for Kushina's son.

_"So that's why the prophecy changed." _thought Jiraiya eyeing a poster with Naruto's face on it. Six bold letters at the top spelled out 'Wanted' as Jiraiya continued on investigating to find out what happened. _"So the gaki that was famous in this part of the village four months ago kills two of the Seven Swordsmen and immediately becomes one of the most infamous criminals. Why'd he do something like that?"_

Several minutes passed by before Jiraiya arrived in Naruto's room. Jiraiya noticed that nothing was different about Naruto's room except that it was missing the Uzumaki seal on his floor.

_"Wonder what the kid took from there?"_ thought Jiraiya before continuing his search. Two hours later, Jiriaya stood on the outskirts of Kirigakure as he looked out over all of the water. _"And that's where the buck stops. Kid left the mainland to go straight ahead over there." _

Sometimes, Jiraiya had to be grateful for his skills. 3 hours in Kirigakure and he'd moved freely enough to not raise any alarms about his true skill level, who he really was, and could calmly investigate what was going on with Naruto, the new Child of Prophecy. It also helped that there was a war going on. But Jiraiya still considered himself skilled regardless of that.

More of the day passed by before Jiraiya found himself standing in front of Mei's home. "I'm better than I thought. Gaki wasn't that hard to find." said Jiraiya with a smirk on his face. Jiraiya's smirk faltered though at the words of his companion.

**"Jiraiya-sama. I helped you find him. If I didn't, you'd have been searching for days, maybe forever." **said the small toad in Jiraiya's arms. Jiraiya looked at the small toad with one eye before dispelling him and walking up to Mei's door. Jiraiya knocked twice on the door before stepping back and waiting for anyone to answer, hopefully Naruto. Several seconds passed by before the door opened to reveal Mei.

_"Damn. Way to go Gaki." _thought Jiraiya taking a faster than Mei could notice glance at her appearance before just smiling at Mei.

_"Is this the guy?" _thought Mei looking at the stature of the man in front of her. His great height and broad shoulders definitely went along with the power of the man's chakra, deeming him powerful despite his aloof face. _"Yep, that's him." _

"May I help you?" questioned Mei as Jiraiya just continued to smile.

"I believe you can. Can you help me with finding an acquaintance of mine. Naruto Hozuki is his name." said Jiraiya as Mei nodded her head.

"He already figured you were coming." said Mei before walking back into her home, beckoning Jiraiya to follow after her. Jiraiya easily stepped inside the small apartment and looked around for a bit before Mei returned with a scroll. "He sent me this a week ago attached to a letter. He drew your face and said you'd come looking for him and this is where you'd find him."

Jiraiya's eyebrows raised at that before accepting the scroll. "You didn't already look in it?" questioned Jiraiya as Mei just shook her head. "And why not?"

Mei let out a huff. "He sealed it. I couldn't open it." said Mei blowing out air that slightly lifted up her bang. "I knew he'd do that. He doesn't want me to know where he is because he knows I'll come."

"I see. Well is there anything you want to tell him?" questioned Jiraiya as Mei just looked at him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Not really, plus I send a scroll back anyway. You can tell him to hurry up though." said Mei. "We need him."

"Will do. Thank you Mei Terumi." said Jiraiya before turning and walking out the door. Just before walking out, Jiraiya left Mei with a few more words. "By the way, when you said 'we' need him. It sounded like you said, 'I' need him."

The door shut as Mei just placed her hands on her hips.

_"Damn. Does it really sound like that all the time?" _thought Mei before turning back in her home. _"Wait. How did he know my name?" _

Mei quickly ran to her door before opening it and looking around for the man but couldn't find him. He was already gone to find Naruto.

_(Uzushiogakure with Naruto - 1 week later)_

**"Kuchiyose (Summoning)" **said Naruto as he summoned another Mako shark. Placing the scroll into the shark's mouth, Naruto smiled when it took off and swam away.

"You're not done training. Break's over, get back over there." said Samehada latched to Naruto's back. Naruto only wore red pants as his training happened over water and he didn't think it was necessary to keep getting his shirts wet along with his pants.

Naruto heard Samehada's voice in his head as he looked up with a clearly strained and tired face.

_"Same-chan. Goodness grief. It's only been 2 minutes. My break gets shorter and shorter the more we train." _thought Naruto back to Samehada. _"We've been training for 2 hours straight."_

"Well with that attitude you won't ever beat Yagura." said Samehada slyly as Naruto's chakra spiked a little bit. "Thought that'd get you going."

_"You got me. You got me. Alright, let's do this." _said Naruto in return before vanishing in a mist shunshin. Naruto appeared atop a torn down building as he peeped in on the inside of it. _"Let's just check on Ka-chan's inheritance here for a second." _

Naruto looked in the torn down building to see a person that looked just like him, a clone actually. The clone of him was face deep in a large and worn out book. The book was the marked destination on his mother's map and the Uzumaki Clan's book of Fuinjutsu, their teaching guide for the obscure art.

The book was safe guarded by a powerful seal that only those of Level 8 sealing could open. And even with that high level of sealing, the book was illegible to anyone without Uzumaki blood. It was the single greatest work of Fuinjutsu Naruto had ever seen and he had it all to himself at the moment.

The clone noticed his original's presence as he looked up with a salute. "Yosh! How's training going boss?" questioned the clone as Naruto just shrugged his shoulders.

"Pretty easy to be honest." said Naruto before feeling Samehada wiggle on his back.

"Easy? Great, that means we can bump it up a notch." said Samehada as Naruto just groaned internally for his comment.

"What about you? How's your... training?" questioned Naruto as the clone just gave him a dreadful look.

"This book. This book is literally the bane of my existence." said the clone as Naruto nearly laughed at the pun. The clone was created solely because of that book. "Why'd you have to learn the Shadow Clone technique from this damn thing? Actually, why can't I just do the training and you do this reading? You know how boring this is?"

"What?! If I could, I would have you doing the training. But you'd poof after the first hit. I can't just keep making you guys." said Naruto in return. "You got it easy pal. You're just reading, that's all you're doing. I'm fighting a sixty foot shark with an endless supply of chakra it feels like."

"Sixty foot shark? 60,000 pages of Fuinjutsu?" said the clone holding his hands up, tilting them as if weighing the two options. "I'd rather go face a shark any day."

Naruto just looked at his clone with a deadpan expression for several seconds. The clone stared back at Naruto with a straight face. Another few seconds passed by before the clone just laughed.

"Hahaha, Hell no. I'm all in this Fuinjutsu book right about now. It's so fascinating." said the clone turning back toward the book. "I'd tell you but you know, I'd be just repeating myself when I dispelled and you know we don't repeat ourselves."

"I'm sorry what was that?" questioned Naruto as the clone opened his mouth before closing it.

"Heh,you almost got me." said Naruto's clone as Naruto smiled before disappearing in another mist shunshin. Naruto arrived near the ocean as he looked over to see a clone sitting still holding the ram seal with his eyes closed.

_"He looks busy and if he doesn't get that right, he'll kill me. I'll just let him do what he does." _thought Naruto seeing a shark situated next to the clone, guarding the clone and making sure everything was okay. Naruto then looked out at the rest of the ocean before letting loose a breath. Naruto stepped out on the water and walked straight ahead to his training ground.

"You know people would think you're crazy right? For talking to yourself?" said Samehada in Naruto's head.

_"I wasn't talking to myself. What do you mean?" _thought Naruto nearing his sparring partner.

"Those clones of yours are directly linked to your consciousness. They are you and you are they. You were talking to yourself. That's a sign of being crazy." said Samehada as Naruto just shook his head.

_"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like the jutsu but I do feel like I'm going crazy." _said Naruto before standing still in the ocean. _"I couldn't imagine if I could make one thousand of those." _

"Then you'd really be going cuckoo. Dodge." said Samehada as Naruto jumped far to the left to dodge the rise of an enormous shark, the Megalodon. The shark flew high into the air before gravity took effect and sent him back careening into the ocean. Splashing back into the ocean, the shark caused a mighty wave to occur. The wave rushed out at Naruto as he just walked through it, merging with the water before reforming back on the other side.

_"Here we go again." _thought Naruto holding the ram seal. White lightning sparked around Naruto before he faced off against the mighty shark.

_(3 hours later)_

**"You lose..again." **said the Megalodon before he spit Naruto out of his mouth. Naruto face planted on top of the water as he groaned deeply in pain. **"How did you find him Samehada-chan. I like him. He's just like Shugetsu."**

Naruto sneaked an eye to the large shark before putting his head back down. "Yeah. Yeah. Catch you tomorrow Fuka..." said Naruto as the large shark vanished in a poof of smoke. Naruto groaned again on top of the ocean. "This day could not get worst."

A sharp pain cut through Naruto's head as a rush of information came to him from his Shadow clones dispelling. Luckily Samehada knew that was about to happen so it was already funneling chakra to Naruto, soothing the drawback that occurred from their memories rushing to him.

_"Shadow Clone technique rules. Except for that part. At least I know more Fuinjutsu and that other thing seems easier." _thought Naruto feeling his chakra return from Samehada. Naruto's head then picked up as he felt a chakra. _"Jiraiya's here." _

Naruto began to stand as he waited for Jiraiya's arrival. Naruto didn't wait long as the Toad Sage came into view, walking across the ocean toward him.

"Jiraiya-sama. I knew you'd come." said Naruto as Jiraiya's face came into view. "I'm sure you saw what was in Kiri and I can totally explain th-"

Naruto stopped talking feeling Jiraiya's chakra spike before he ducked a fist from the Toad Sage, who now stood in front of him.

"Well get to explaining then gaki." said Jiraiya before he sent a kick into the crouched Naruto's side, sending him flying back.

Naruto went skidding across the water before sliding up into a stand. Naruto noticed Jiraiya walking toward him again as Naruto just readied to defend himself.

"Yagura is against me. I didn't kill those two swordsmen." said Naruto dodging another punch from Jiraiya before sidestepping the follow up kick. "I don't know why and I don't care, all I know is I didn't kill them."

Naruto pulled Samehada off his back to block Jiraiya's next punch. Naruto felt Jiraiya's chakra leave him a bit before holding a half ram seal. Naruto moved the sword out of Jiraiya's way before a dome of water surrounded the Toad Sage.

_"Water prison. That's pretty good." _thought Jiraiya looking at Naruto from inside the dome of water.

"I didn't commit those crimes but I've been pinned with them, branded a traitor in my home village, and was forced to flee or be imprisoned. It's not that I didn't want Fuguki or Raiga to die, but their deaths happened much later in my plan." said Naruto with one hand inside the dome of water. "I just don't understand the reason why? Who would want this?"

Naruto's head picked up when he felt another chakra enter his sensory cloud, a chakra identical to the Jiraiya in front of him. Naruto waited about a minute as another Jiraiya came up to him. The clone in Naruto's water prison dispelled as Jiraiya answered Naruto's question.

"Akatsuki." said Jiraiya as he walked over to Naruto. "They have the reason and the want don't you think."

"Akatsuki..you're right." said Naruto before thinking about the days afterward. Akatsuki did show up right as he became a criminal to ask him again whether he wanted their help or not. "My plan didn't work and I don't have another one so..they'd be the easy option, almost only option to help my village. But that would mean that Akatsuki controls Yagura...right? No, Yagura's too strong for that."

Jiraiya just listened to Naruto go back and forth about the Akatsuki and remembering all the events before asking his own question.

"Are you going to ask for their help?" questioned Jiraiya as Naruto stopped his back and forth to look up at him.

"No. Why do you think I'm here instead of with Akatsuki defeating Yagura. I'm going to do it of my own strength and power." said Naruto. "Trust me. I have it in the bag."

_"That same confidence from the Chunin Exam." _thought Jiraiya seeing and hearing the conviction Naruto had in himself. Jiraiya just nodded his head.

"Perfect! And if you don't mind, I believe I can teach you a few things. Or at least be a sparring partner." said Jiraiya peering an eye out to Naruto. Naruto's eyes lit up immediately with a yes. "But I can't stay long, I have other things to attend to but I believe I can spare one week or two weeks. Plus we can go over another plan to help Kirigakure."

"Yatta!" shouted Naruto before following after the Toad Sage, back into Uzu.

* * *

_(Kirigakure Rebel Islands - 4 months later)_

"Mei-sama. We're outnumbered here. What do we do?!" said a man as he stood back to back with his captain, Mei. Mei looked around to see 20 ninjas around them and truly no exit. "Talk about a scouting mission gone wrong."

"I know Chukichi. And I don't know what to do. You're out of chakra and I'm nearly depleted too. I didn't think we'd walked into an ambush." said Mei as her green eyes darted back and forth to the ninjas surrounding her. Mei's eyes then focused on a short man walk up with Kabutowari in his hands.

"Mei Terumi. It took 50 men, losing more than half in the process, but I finally have you cornered." said Jinin, wielder of Kabutowari, as he had a smirk on his face. "Do you know how long I've waited for this day? For nearly three years and I wanted it even more since that brat, Naruto Hozuki, turned traitor."

_"Naruto-kun." _thought Mei when she heard Jinin say his name. Mei hadn't forgot about the white-haired swordsman in his near five month absence but it did put things in perspective for her on the fact that she may not see him again. But Jinin's statement had her confused.

"What do you mean since Naruto-kun turned traitor? You couldn't go after me beforehand?" questioned Mei backing up slightly as Jinin slammed his hammer in the ground, causing an earthquake. While the earthquake happened, Mei heard Chukichi whisper something in her ear as her eyebrows raised.

"I didn't ask you to talk." said Jinin as the ground stopped rumbling and he looked back at Mei. "But you did ask a question so I'll answer it. Naruto was given exclusive rights to hunt the best of you Rebel scum and that included you, so no one else was allowed to come find you. We had to stay on the battlefield or protect Kiri while he got the good job. But like I said, that's all over with..he's gone and it was given to me. Actually, I haven't even heard a peep out of that traitor since. When I do, I'll Kill him."

Jinin then took a calming and satisfying breath before signalling his men.

"Enough talking. Kill the male and take the girl alive. I want to show Yagura a breathing Mei Terumi before I execute her." said Jinin as his men all grinned and began walking toward the two.

"Wait..." said Mei holding up her hand in the shape of a gun, her thumb up and pointer finger extended. "I am not afraid to use this. If you leave, you'll live."

Jinin and his men all laughed at the gesture.

"You think that is going to stop us? You don't even have bullets." said one of Jinin's men as Mei just began to turn in a circle, shooting each of Jinin men.

Jinin grew shocked when, in the span of 5 seconds, all of his men were on the ground with seemingly a bullet going through their heads. Though the bullets came from all directions in the trees surrounding them and they were made of water.

_"Naruto..." _thought Jinin before feeling a finger touch the side of his head.

"Seems that gun of hers was loaded." came the voice of Naruto, standing behind Jinin with his finger aimed dead at his temple.

"You traitor...you kill Fuguki and Raiga. And now you kill me." said Jinin sweating slightly realizing Naruto would kill him with the slightest move or chakra fluctuation. "How could you turn your back on your fellow swordsmen. You're one of us, a swordsmen. And you kill three of us?"

"I was never with you." said Naruto before water formed at the tip of his finger. **"Mizudeppo no Jutsu (Water Gun Technique)"**

Those were the last words Jinin heard before he closed his eyes and death met him. Jinin's body hit the ground as Mei looked up to see Naruto smiling at her.

"Naruto-kun." said Mei with a smile appearing on her face. "You're back."

"Hey Mei-chan." said Naruto before looking at the man behind Mei. "Chukichi-san. What is up?"

Chukichi just breathed out a relieved sigh. "Nothing much Naruto-san. Thank you for showing up like that. I thought we were goners." said Chukichi as Naruto just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey. I got you guys' backs." said Naruto before turning to Mei. "Were you mocking me with that gun thing?"

"Well Chukichi let me know you were here when Jinin slammed his hammer down and I figured that's what you would do." said Mei as Naruto began to walk toward them. 8 clones came jumping out of the trees surrounding the path as they handled the bodies and Jinin. "I just improvised really and it got the job down."

"Well I liked it." said Naruto standing in front of Mei. Mei noticed when Naruto walked over to her and from the way he stood now, confidence just oozed off of him. Even more so than before. Not to mention what she saw just now of him taking out Jinin and his men like that.

"You grew another inch, training go well?" questioned Mei as that's the only thing she could think of for why Naruto looked so confident.

"I might have. I would have trained longer too." said Naruto still staring at Mei. "But I knew you needed me and I came back right on time it seems."

"Did you now?" questioned Mei as Naruto just nodded his head. "I could have taken those guys out no problem, you know that. You just missed me huh?"

Naruto just continued to stare and smile at Mei as she couldn't figure out what he was really thinking. She was conflicted really. Here was Naruto, the same person with whom she made out with before he left but also the same person who hadn't spoken a word about it since.

And Mei really didn't feel like having to go through that tease thing again, or not kissing Naruto when she wanted. She liked that part even if they weren't officially dating. So that was what the question was for, to gauge whether he did or didn't.

Mei got her answer as Naruto leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss before pulling back.

"Of course I didn't miss you." said Naruto with a smirk as Mei just smiled happily. Mei was ready to kiss Naruto some more but a thud sounding off behind them made the two turn toward it.

"Oh right. Chukichi was out of chakra. Probably has chakra exhaustion." said Mei looking at the downed man before her. Mei just looked back at Naruto."Let's get back. We have some catching up to do and we have to tell the Rebels it is time to face Yagura. You can beat him right?"

Naruto just nodded his head. "I'll kick his ass, no worries." said Naruto confidently before picking up Chukichi.

"What the hell did you learn in five months that has you like this?" questioned Mei smiling at Naruto's words. One of Naruto's clones placed Kabutowari along Naruto's belt as Naruto just continued to grin.

"You'll see here soon Mei-chan. Don't spoil the surprise." said Naruto as he and Mei headed back to their makeshift village to prep for tomorrow's venture. It was finally time to take down Yagura.

_(Kirigakure Main Island - Mizukage Tower)_

Situated in Yagura's office were Zetsu, the Masked Man, and Yagura himself. The Masked Man sat patient in the office as he and Zetsu conversed.

"How strong do you think the boy has gotten?" questioned the Masked Man as Zetsu just shrugged his shoulders.

"We have no clue anymore. If either of us gets close to him, he'll sense us and that'll obviously blow our cover." said Zetsu before pointing to Yagura. "Back when he was with Yagura it was easy. Yagura could just stand there and monitor his progress, so I don't rightly know."

The Masked Man just nodded his head at that. He had no clue how strong Naruto's sensory ability was but no matter the distance he made Yagura try as a test, Naruto would always know he was around or coming. That's why he had no clue of Naruto's activities for the first time in a long time ever since branding the teenager a criminal.

**"I think it's time for phase two of your plan. The boy clearly hasn't accepted the easy way, so now it's time to make it hard for him not to." **said the Black half of Zetsu as the Masked Man seemed to contemplate that thought. **"The Rebel forces seem ready to fight and if that hunter-nin is right, it'll be tomorrow that they come." **

"I believe you are right. Why not implement the next phase?" said the Masked Man looking out the window. A grin etched it's way on the Masked Man's face as he readied for what was to come.

_"I hope you're ready Naruto Hozuki. I can't wait to see what you do with this." _thought the Masked Man as he vanished in a vortex to begin the next part of his plan.

* * *

**Review or shoot me a pm.**

**-Hamp Out**


	13. War I

**Back at it. Chapter Thirteen. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Ran out of Hennessy guys and gals. I would go buy some more but that'll lead to a drinking problem and I don't plan to have one of those until I'm at least 55 years of age. At least you still got a chapter though. I even updated within a week and not every other month like before. So you know, that's always good right? I say, **#SilverLining**

* * *

**Chapter: War I**

"This is it Naruto-kun. Are you sure you're ready?" questioned Mei to the swordsman directly to her left, touching shoulders they were so close. The two sat crouched side by side as they looked over an enormous plot of land. The most common battleground of this Kiri Civil War. And hopefully by the end of today, it would see its last battle.

Naruto just turned his head to Mei with a smile. "I told you this yesterday. I'm ready. I have the tools to take out Yagura. Just let me do my thing." said Naruto reassuringly to the auburn-haired girl, causing a smile to etch its way on her face.

"Still confident." said Mei before leaning her head forward and sneaking a kiss. Naruto accepted the kiss before seeing Mei pull back and just continue smiling at him.

"What was that for?" questioned Naruto to Mei.

"Just making sure you were ready. Kiss good, fight good. That's the motto." said Mei as Naruto just nodded his head.

"Well how'd I do?" questioned Naruto as Mei sort of shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head side to side.

"It was so-so. I don't think you're ready." said Mei as Naruto nodded his head.

"You might be right. Well let's keep kissing until I get a great. Kiss great, fight great." said Naruto as he leaned in to kiss Mei some more. Several long seconds later, Naruto pulled back before looking at Mei for his rating.

"You're definitely ready." said Mei as she felt the need to faint from that last kiss.

"I think you just like kissing me. I didn't change at all from the last one." said Naruto with a small smirk that Mei reciprocated.

"And if I did?" questioned Mei as Naruto just smiled. Another kiss was in store until a cough behind the two made them stop. Mei and Naruto then looked over to see about 1000 Rebel troops behind them, who all bore witness to what just occurred.

"Right. Well, let's go to war shall we?" questioned Naruto as he heard a few eccentric yells of 'Yeah!' scattered across the group. One of the shinobi in front just simply yawned into his hand.

"Hell of a speech Naruto-_taicho. _I'm totally ready for the war." said the ninja with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the man before pointing a hand to the back. "Oh come on. I worked hard to be in the front."

"Too late. For your comments you are reassigned to the back most row. Enjoy." said Naruto as the ninja just shook his head and headed back. The line he left all moved up one person as Naruto seemed happy with the new front line. "Can't have none of that sarcastic, non-optimistic-"

"Pessimistic Naruto-kun" said Mei giving Naruto the correct word.

"Right. Pessimistic attitudes around here." continued Naruto. "Nothing but optimism. We got the best shinobi. The best strategy. And frankly, we look the best. Am I right?"

YEAH

"Are we gonna win?!" shouted Naruto more into it.

YEAH

"Are you all ready?!"

YEAH

"Who we gonna crush?!"

YAGURA

"Who we gonna kill?!"

YAGURA

"Who we gonna kiss?!"

"Yagura!" shouted one man before realizing what Naruto said. Naruto smirked at him.

"Gotcha." said Naruto as the Rebel Army laughed at the one shinobi who got swindled. Naruto then picked Samehada off his back and rose the sharkskin sword in the air. "Let's fucking do this!"

YEEEAAAHH

All the Rebel Army shinobi began to cheer loudly as Naruto turned and walked back up to crouch next to Mei.

"Nice speech Braveheart." said Mei as she looked out at the battlefield.

"The hell is a Braveheart?" questioned Naruto.

"I have no clue. It just came to mind really." said Mei before looking at Naruto. "Well. Let's get this party officially started shall we?"

"We shall." said Naruto placing a hand to Mei's shoulder as the two vanished in a mist shunshin.

_(Kirigakure Mainland - Outskirts)_

"Dude, smash or pass?" questioned one of the patrol guards as he held his bingo book to his partner. His partner looked at the two pictures before shaking his head.

"Total pass bro. Come on, she is hot but she's only 15 man. I'm no pedophile." said the other guard.

"You know you're lying. You'd totally smash Mei Terumi. I mean, who wouldn't?" questioned the guard.

"Man, I'd totally give Mei Terumi the business." came the voice of Naruto behind the two guards. The guard with the Bingo Book nodded his head as he turned to high five Naruto.

"Hell yeah. Someone's with me." said the guard slapping Naruto's hand before realizing that he was indeed slapping Naruto's hand. "Aww shit."

"Aww shit is right my friend." said Naruto as the guard watched his partner drop to the ground, unconscious due to chakra loss. "You sir are the lucky winner though. Can you guess what you won?"

"Please don't kill me." said the guard as Naruto just shook his head.

"I hate it when they're right. I won't kill you." said Naruto before making a shooing motion with his hand. "You just tell Yagura that if he doesn't meet me in 30 minutes, I'll be at his front door and we can have at it in Kirigakure. The choice is his. Now run along."

The guard stumbled as he backed up before turning and hightailing it to Kirigakure. Naruto watched the man run away before turning around and walking back to the battlefield. Naruto was joined in his walk back by Mei who had a smile plastered on her face.

"You'd 'totally give Mei Terumi the business' huh?" questioned Mei as Naruto never broke stride at the question.

"Hell yeah. I'm just waiting for the war to end. Then I'll totally woo her and give her some good ole Naruto loving." said Naruto with a sly smirk, knowing Mei's face heated up at that comment. Mei's cheeks were red but she wouldn't let Naruto totally win.

"Well then hurry up with your fight and I'll be waiting for it back at home. And I do mean right after the war." said Mei as Naruto's own cheeks heated up a bit. Naruto just turned to Mei with a smile as the two continued their stroll to wait for Yagura's imminent arrival.

* * *

_(Kirigakure Mainland - Mizukage Tower)_

"A battle. Now?" questioned Yagura rhetorically to the scared out of his mind patrol guard standing in front of him. Yagura sat in the chair in his office as he let out a smile before just nodding his head at that. "Naruto-kun apparently is ready to have it out. I guess I'll just have to show him how out of his league he really is. Summon the army. If it's a war Naruto wants, it's a war he shall get."

"Right on it sir." said the patrol guard before ducking out of the room and heading to sound the alarm.

Yagura stood up from his chair as he walked over to the window in his office.

_"Really Naruto-kun. 5 months. You expect me to believe you can actually contend with me in just five mere months?" _thought Yagura in his head. _"What are you really planning my apprentice." _

That was one of the bad things about having an apprentice. A person who you taught your tricks to. Because in the event that they ever turned on you, they'd know exactly all of your weaknesses and how to counter you easily and efficiently. But that's why being the teacher is much better, you never give out your best tricks and Naruto would be in for a rude awakening here shortly.

Yagura watched as the siren rang out and within seconds, ninjas began hopping to duty in preparation for what was to come. Yagura smiled at their quick movement and readiness before turning to see a vortex appear in his office.

"So it is time." came the voice of the Masked Man stepping out of that vortex. Yagura just nodded his head.

"So it seems. Naruto has sent me a threat that if I don't meet him on the battlefield in 30, now 19 minutes. Then he shall bring himself and the Rebel Army directly into the heart of Kirigakure." said Yagura as he watched the plant man, Zetsu, appear in his office as well.

"Oh Ho, Naruto-kun is a feisty one." said the White half of Zetsu with what appeared to be a smile on his half of the Zetsu's face. "This ought to be good. I can't wait to watch it."

**"We can't watch it. The boy is too adept a sensor remember." **said the black half of Zetsu as the White half just nodded his head in recollection.

"That's right. That's right. Man. I'm sure it would be splendid to watch." said the White half before the Black half continued talking.

**"Naruto Hozuki may be young but he is a very shrewd individual and also cautious. He rightly wouldn't do such a thing if he truly didn't believe he'd win." **said the Black half of Zetsu as the Masked Man nodded.

"You're right. It's too bad we won't be able to watch what the boy does though." said the Masked Man before shrugging his shoulders. "Either way, by the end of today. Naruto will be a member of Akatsuki. Orochimaru and Sasori will definitely handle that."

Just as the Masked Man said their names, both Orochimaru and Sasori appeared right outside the Mizukage Tower. The Masked Man then looked over to Yagura before nodding his head.

"Go and face the boy. If you beat him, great. If you die, oh well." said the Masked Man as Yagura's eyes just glowed red before he walked out of the office to command his troops for the impending all out attack. "Our job here is done Zetsu. Let us leave and wait for his arrival."

"As you command." said Zetsu as he sunk back into the ground. The Masked Man simply disappeared in a vortex as he would wait for Naruto's eventual arrival. For he would come, his plan was foolproof.

_(Kirigakure Battlefield - With Naruto)_

"You think he's coming?" questioned Mei as she bit into the apple in her hand. Chewing a bit, Mei looked over to see Naruto with his eyes closed. "Oh right, you can actually know."

"Yes. Yes I can and he is on his way." said Naruto, opening his eyes. Naruto then saw Mei offer him her apple and he took it gratefully, taking a bite out of it.

"How strong is your sensory ability? You can tell they are coming but from what distance?" said Mei. "Chukichi is our best sensor, was our best sensor, and he could get upwards to about 500 feet. How far does yours go?"

Naruto just chewed up the bit of apple in his mouth before swallowing. Naruto then looked at Mei before simply shrugging his shoulders and taking another bite.

"I don't rightly know how strong it is Mei-chan, I've never really tried. Just know it's pretty strong." said Naruto taking another bite of the apple in his hand.

"You just never give out your true skill level do you?" questioned Mei as Naruto simply shook his head.

"The less people know about you, the easier it is to take them down." said Naruto before turning to Mei. "Information is priceless. Never give it away. That's what I was taught and I guess I just really took it to heart."

Mei just nodded her head at that before turning back and waiting for Yagura's troops to arrive. She'd lie if she didn't feel nervous but with Naruto by her side, his confidence in himself made her nerves die down a bit with his presence alone.

_"He's so calm about all of this. And it certainly effects the people around him." _thought Mei looking back to even see the Rebels loose and not overly tense about what was to come. Mei looked back at Naruto as he took another bite from her apple. _"You're going to make a great Mizukage one day Naruto-kun."_

"And there they are." said Naruto, causing everyone around him to stand up at that statement. Everyone was getting their weapons ready as Naruto merely pulled Samehada off his back once again.

Mei made sure she was ready to go before nodding to Naruto. Naruto nodded back before turning to the Rebels behind him.

"You guys ready to do this?" said Naruto as the group gave him another Yeah, still excited like earlier from his speech. "Alright then. On my signal. I'll send the first shot and you guys know what to do afterward."

Naruto then turned back to Mei before giving her one last reassuring smile.

"Remember, you owe me some nookie after this is all over." said Naruto as Mei's face heated up again. Before she could respond, Naruto vanished in a mist shunshin to approach Yagura's army.

_"Oh you're going to so get it later."_ thought Mei, meaning that in more ways than one as she and the army waited for the signal.

_(With Naruto)_

Naruto arrived on the ground facing Yagura's immense army as he could feel all of their chakra signatures.

_"What do you think Same-chan. 400, 500, 600?" _thought Naruto in his head.

"7,628 people total, if you count Yagura." said Samehada as Naruto just nodded.

_"I was pretty close. So 7,628 vs our 5,619. The 1123 behind me and the rest all around. Right. Hope this works." _said Naruto in reply before looking at all that was Yagura's army stand about 600 feet away from him. Naruto then saw Yagura on what appeared to be a platform, summoned up just now so that he could view the entire field. Naruto could even feel the guy smirking even though he could barely see the tiny Kage.

"Naruto-kun. Oh Naruto-kun. What a pleasure it is to see you again." said Yagura.

"The feeling isn't mutual." said Naruto as Yagura just smiled.

"I'm hurt Naruto-kun. I am hurt. To think that I spent all that time training you. Making you better. Treating you as if you were my own son. An extension of me if you will. And this is the thanks I get?" questioned Yagura.

"Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. You sound like a total villian right now." said Naruto as he held Samehada at the ready. "All villians do is talk and talk. Can we just fight already?"

Yagura's eyebrows raised at that. "It seems my monologue is a bit boring to you. So be it." said Yagura before pulling the flower staff of his back. "Attack."

Naruto never knew that one word carried so much power. In one word, Naruto watched 7,627 people rush him all at the same time.

"That is pretty impressive command over his army. Whether you like him or not, Yagura is a great Kage." said Samehada in slight awe.

_"Oi. Whose side are you on here?" _questioned Naruto to his sword as he felt it wiggle in response. _"Right, just checking. Well let's get to it shall we." _

**"Suiton: Bakusui Shoha (Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)" **said Naruto before his chest puffed up and he cocked his head back. Naruto moved his head forward as he sent out a massive amount of water. The water Naruto sent out covered the entire battlefield within seconds, covering nearly a third of Yagura's troops on the battlefield up to their ankles. The rest just spread out to cover a thin layer of the battlefield up to most people's toes.

_"Naruto-kun has the ability to change landscapes now." _thought Yagura marveling at the jutsu and how it turned a once grassy plain into a sort of 4 inch deep pool of water. Yagura's army had previously stopped at the jutsu Naruto used but realized he used it too early. Due to the broad area that the jutsu was sent out over, it's destructive force meant nothing to the shinobi as they just started to run toward him again.

_"Idiots." _thought Naruto before placing his hands in the ram seal. Ao recognized the hand seal from Naruto's days as a Hunter-nin and immediately alerted those around him.

"Jump!" shouted Ao, leaping into the air. A few around him heard the experienced Hunter-nin as they all jumped into the air. Though most weren't fortunate enough as they were either out of earshot or just too slow with their reaction.

**"Horyu Raika no Jutsu (Thunder Discharge Disaster)" **said Naruto as all around him sparked with white lightning. Due to water's natural conductivity, the lightning immediately spread out and bolted across the water attacking those less fortunate and lesser shinobi with its shocking effects. Yagura's front line was effected the most by the jutsu as his back most troops had time to either evade or defend against the jutsu

Yagura and his army watched the front line drop like flies as Naruto effectively took out over a hundred shinobi in the span of 10 seconds. As if on cue, a loud war cry was heard all around the battlefield as Rebel members began to appear from all directions, even behind Yagura.

_"This is a new tactic. Naruto has them attacking from all sides. A box if you will" _thought Yagura seeing his army split up to take on the Rebel Army. Though it seemed some of them were confused and they didn't break up properly to defend against the rebels. Especially considering that if they attacked one side, they would get blindsided by another side of the Rebel attack.

_"I have to admit it. I'm a bit of a genius." _thought Naruto seeing his plan work exactly how it was drawn up. The purists had no clue how to defend and were being picked off in the masses by Naruto and the Rebels. Naruto then looked directly at Yagura as he began his charge at his real enemy.

Yagura noticed his charge and just smiled at him. _"You never cease to amaze me Naruto-kun. This plan is brilliant. But charging me head on is a mistake that death comes right after." _thought Yagura seeing Naruto continue his approach.

Naruto was halted as in front of him stood his old teammates and sensei, the other three of Team Mangetsu.

"Hi guys." said Naruto before pulling out a scroll. "I'm sure you can use this sensei. It'll definitely add more fighting power."

Naruto flung the scroll to Mangetsu as he opened it to find Kabutowari within it.

"Man. I hate this sword. But I might as well use it." said Mangetsu before taking Hiramekarai off his back and handing it to Chojuro. "Take care of my baby."

Chojuro's eyes lit up with happiness as he gripped the chakra blade, Hiramekarai.

"Heh, we all have swords. Who would have thunk it?" questioned Ameyuri as she held the Kiba blades. "Well, hurry up Pretty Boy and kick Yagura's ass. We'll handle everything else."

Naruto just nodded his head as his team vanished and began helping the rebels. The others who secretly supported Naruto began to follow suit. Even Ao, the Hunter-nin captain who warned some of Yagura's men about Naruto's jutsu, was helping the rebel army. Though if one was paying attention, they would have realized Ao kept his voice down as to keep the number of shinobi he helped to a minimum.

Oh Naruto's plan was working perfectly. All that was left was to get to Yagura and take him out. And Naruto was ready to do just that.

"Duck." said Samehada as Naruto listened to the sword. Thankfully he did as Yagura had a fist fly directly over Naruto's head not a second later.

"That troublesome sword." said Yagura as one tail of his Jinchuriki cloak was absorbed immediately. "But that won't be enough to beat me."

Yagura's hands began to glow with chakra as Naruto recognized that as his coral palm technique. One touch from that and he'd become 'coralized'. Even Samehada would and Naruto definitely didn't want that to happen.

Naruto back pedaled from the fast Kage as Yagura just chased after the fleeing Hozuki Clan member.

"Are you running Naruto-kun? I thought you could beat me?" questioned Yagura as Naruto just continued back pedaling and dodging each of Yagura's strikes. Yagura got close to hitting Naruto but he evaded by turning into a drop of water. Yagura then noticed Naruto pop up and reform on the other side of the battlefield pool he created as he waved to Yagura.

"Of course not. I just want more space for when I kick your ass. Come come." said Naruto as he made a 'come hither' motion with his hand. Yagura's eyes perked up at that as he indeed made his way to Naruto and followed after him. The battlefield was a cluster of just bodies being thrown and fighting but Yagura didn't care, his only prize was Naruto and that's what he went after.

_(With Naruto)_

Naruto stood about 1500 feet from the battlefield as Yagura stood directly in front of him.

"All alone at last I see Naruto-kun." said Yagura smiling at his apprentice. "I wonder if this truly was your plan from the beginning. To have a war and then draw me away to take me out."

Naruto just stood stock still as he listened to the short Kage speak.

"But what if you can't take me out? Are you hoping that your Rebel Army with its few traitors from my own can fully take out all of the purists? Is that what you think?" questioned Yagura some more as he continued. "And that in hopes that with so many of them that they'd actually defeat me? Do you really think they could defeat me after going through a war? I am a perfect Jinchuriki. And a Kage. No one in Kirigakure can match me"

Yagura then felt Naruto's chakra levels raise tremendously as he looked out to see blue shading spread out around Naruto's eyes. Naruto took his vest off to show his bare upper body as three large blue lines situated themselves on each side of his stomach, almost as if gills.

"I told you all villains do is talk. And all they do is give heroes enough time to counter. Not saying I'm a hero and all that but you certainly make it feel that way." said Naruto as Yagura could see his canines had grown larger and looked more like shark teeth. Naruto opened his eyes as Yagura saw they were a bright yellow.

"What did you just do?" questioned Yagura as he felt slightly nervous for the first time in a while about an opponent. He didn't know what Naruto did but from his chakra levels and the shift in his demeanor, it certainly didn't bode well for him.

"Let's just say I'm in tune with Nature." said Naruto before he rocketed toward Yagura. Yagura matched Naruto's movements as the battle between the two was on.

_(Battlefield - With Mei)_

Mei belted a Kiri Purist with a kick to the sternum before ducking a punch from the ninja behind her. Mei grabbed the man's arm before picking her heel up and planting it right under the man's chin. The man went sailing through the air from the kick as Mei looked to her right and left.

_"Naruto-kun already took Yagura away. That's good. Now we just have to make sure we win here." _thought Mei before hearing the sound of electricity behind her. Mei turned her head slightly to see Ameyuri there, shocking one of the Purists who attempted to take out Mei while she wasn't looking.

**"Raiton: Kaminari Keimusho (Lightning Style: Lightning Prison)"** said Ameyuri before looking at Mei. Mei noticed the blades in Ameyuri's hand and recognized who she was.

"You're Ameyuri Ringo. The girl Naruto-kun always talks about from his genin and chunin days." said Mei as Ameyuri's head tilted slightly at that.

"And you're Mei Terumi. The girl who, rumored, to have housed Naruto in his stay away from Kirigakure." said Ameyuri as Mei just continued to look at Mei. Ameyuri and Mei continued to stare each other down as if determining some underlying thing betwixt girls with similar male interests.

Ameyuri then turned around with a swing of her Kiba blades at the same time as Mei who sent out a spray of lava. Ameyuri cut into the man attempting to get her from behind as Mei melted the man behind her with a direct shot of lava. Mei and Ameyuri then turned back toward each other before the two kunoichi both went forward together and laid a path of Purists out in their wake.

_(Battlefield - With Mangetsu)_

Mangetsu had an easy enough time handling any Purists around him. Mainly due to the fact that many didn't know that he wasn't on their side. Many in Kirigakure had pegged Ameyuri as a Naruto follower from the stories of her crush on him, not to mention that he came to see her in his return visit nearly five months ago.

But Mangetsu was an anomaly. He'd been the trenches fighting against the Rebels and to see him turn on them was surprising to the Purist Army.

Mangetsu took out dozens of Purists before they began to realize he was helping the Rebels and they began to turn on him. One brave shinobi with a sword in his hand rushed Mangetsu.

"It's pointless to block." said Mangetsu as he thrust the ax of Kabutowari at the man. The man didn't heed Mangetsu's words and blocked the large ax before seeing the hammer end of it come flying down into the end of it.

Mangetsu smashed through the sword with ease as his ax made its way into the man. Mangetsu pulled Kabutowari out before turning to a ninja who had his back to him. Mangetsu saw the purist uniform the man was wearing, which was the standard Kiri outfit, and just went to knock him out.

That proved fatal as the ninja turned around immediately and Mangetsu was met with a needle to the stomach. Mangetsu saw the face of the man and realized he wasn't apart of Kirigakure at all.

"Who the hell are you?" questioned Mangetsu weakly realizing the needle was laced with poison that was effecting him immediately.

"My name is Sasori and I need your assistance in getting to Naruto. Don't try to fight that poison, it'll only get worst the more you squirm." said Sasori as he grabbed Mangetsu with the tail coming out of his back and left the battlefield.

_"Shit. I really can't move..." _thought Mangetsu before seeing Sasori come to a stop. Sasori dropped Mangetsu unceremoniously on the ground as the elder Hozuki clan member looked up to see his brother, Suigetsu, in the arms of one of Konoha's most notorious villians.

"Orochimaru. Let go of my brother..." said Mangetsu more weak than before as he struggled to get to his little brother.

"I don't think so. I believe your brother will do well with me for my experiments. And also in helping my organization get to Naruto-kun." said Orochimaru as Mangetsu began to slowly lose consciousness more and more.

_"Suigetsu. Naruto. I'm sorry." _thought Mangetsu before he fully passed out.

_(With Naruto)_

Naruto arrived at Yagura as he and the Kage went through a sequence of Taijutsu. Yagura evaded two punches from Naruto before watching Naruto dodge his punch, kick, punch combo. Yagura then watched Naruto speed up as he belted the Kage directly in the chest with an elbow.

Yagura backed up from the powerful blow as he felt more of his chakra leave him thanks to Samehada. "Such a troublesome sword." said Yagura before noticing part of his clothing came ripping off as he looked at Naruto wag a finger at him.

"That's where you're wrong Yagura. Samehada isn't anywhere around if you paid attention." said Naruto as Yagura indeed looked to see the sword actually gone from sight.

Yagura then took notice of Naruto's appearance. Naruto's skin was a bit paler than usual and from his elbow just now, much tougher and scaly actually.

"You absorbed Samehada?!" questioned Yagura as Naruto just nodded his head.

"It's not complete yet. I should have grown much taller and all that other good stuff." said Naruto. "I did get these scales though, which is pretty cool. Makes my skin super tough and causes it to shred whatever I touch. Oh, and I can absorb chakra whenever I feel like it. Pretty damn good wouldn't you say for an incomplete form."

Yagura began to take Naruto more seriously as his once right-hand man was proving more and more dangerous by the second. Naruto simply just gave Yagura a shark like grin, enhanced by his appearance, as Yagura became more serious about his defending against Naruto.

"So it seems Naruto-kun." said Yagura before he began to build up his own chakra. "You may have faced me when I used my Jinchuriki cloak before but you've never gone against a full scale Bijuu. Let's see how you do."

Naruto then watched as Yagura indeed began to grow and shift into the Kyodaigame, the Sanbi. Naruto still looked amazed at its appearance but nonetheless smiled as he was ready for this.

**"Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shoha no Jutsu (Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave)" **said Naruto before he sprayed an even larger amount of water from his mouth. The giant turtle that was Yagura watched on as the massive amount of water formed a giant orb around him and Naruto.

_"That's pretty impressive. But I'm a turtle. I can deal with being in the water." _thought Yagura before seeing Naruto smile. _"I wonder what he has planned." _

**_"Suiton: Sameodori no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Prison Dance Technique)"_ **thought Naruto as he sat in the large water dome with Yagura. Naruto noticed Yagura began to swim toward him and just placed his hands in the ram seal. _**"Senpo: Sanda Bureiku (Sage Art: Thunder break)"**_

Yagura watched as Naruto's body sparked with white lightning and he realized why Naruto created this dome of water.

_"You've grown strong Naruto-kun." _thought Yagura before being shocked heavily by Naruto's jutsu, especially being caught in this dome of water. Naruto shocked the large Bijuu for nearly 20 seconds before ending his technique. Naruto looked out to see the large turtle floating upside down.

_"That's it? That's really it?" _questioned Naruto in his head.

"No. Be careful. He's counter attacking." said Samehada in Naruto's head as Naruto witnessed dozens, hundreds of tiny turtles racing out toward him. Naruto also felt the large Bijuu trying to leave his water prison as he looked on to deal with the clone turtles.

_"Well. Let's go wild! **Kuchiyose (Summoning)**" _thought Naruto holding his hand out. A seal spread out from Naruto's palm as Fuka, Naruto's Megalodon summoning, appeared from it.

Fuka looked at Naruto who merely pointed him in the direction of Yagura. Fuka seemed to grin with joy as he quickly swam after the retreating Bijuu. Naruto allowed his water prison to flow with Fuka at the epicenter as he and the clone turtles fell out the large water dome.

"Bring it on you little turtles. Bring it on." said Naruto as he let Kushina's sword appear in his hand and he took off at the turtles in front of him. Fuka was hot on Yagura, not allowing him to exit the water prison as Naruto attacked all of Yagura's clones.

Yagura vs Naruto had officially began and both of them would agree that Naruto was winning round 1.

* * *

**Review or shoot me a pm**

**-Hamp Out**


	14. War II

**Oh Snap! Chapter Fourteen Brodies and Brodettes. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. One reader complained to me that I hadn't updated this story in a while. And I agree, so today will be a double posting. Only! Only if ten people can guess my government name, the name I was born with. You know Hamp doesn't do double postings but in the spirit of giving you a task to accomplish, I'm sure you all will rise to the challenge. Good luck. *Cue Evil Laugh*

* * *

**Chapter 14: War II**

"Killing these turtles aren't as satisfying as I thought it would be." came the voice of Samehada in Naruto's head. Naruto was in the process of placing his chokuto in the last Sanbi clone's head. Around him laid nearly 100 other turtles and they were all taken out the same way. Chokuto through the eye.

Naruto then looked up to see Fuka, his Megalodon, battling against a fully transformed Yagura a ways away in his Water Shark Prison.

_"You're right. I need the real thing for it to actually be satisfying. But Fuka might actually take him down beforehand" _thought Naruto before seeing Fuka get belted with a Bijuudama from Yagura. _"Or maybe not. That's got to hurt." _

Naruto saw Fuka take the powerful jutsu as Fuka could definitely feel the power behind Yagura's strongest attack. Fuka shook his head before looking at Naruto, who just nodded his head as Fuka dispelled to return home and heal. Due to Fuka leaving the water prison, it fell into a large wave from lack of Naruto or Fuka sustaining it. Water spilled out everywhere as the ground was covered in a layer of water, covering the two up to their ankles.

Naruto saw the Sanbi that was Yagura fall to the ground with a thunderous bang as Naruto could see the Jinchuriki Kage was definitely hurting from his run-in with Fuka.

"I see you've gotten more powerful friends. A shark the same size as me." said Yagura as he reverted back to his human form with a simple Jinchuriki cloak around him. Yagura was panting and bruises aligned his body as he had taken a beating from the mighty shark summoning. A cool mist began to rise in the area as Naruto just nodded his head.

"So it seems. And obviously..." started Naruto looking behind him before looking back at Yagura. "You didn't want this to be a fair fight."

Yagura just smiled at Naruto. "Of course not. I wouldn't come here unless I knew for a fact that I could take you out. I won't die here today." said Yagura as from the woods behind Naruto, two shinobi appeared.

"Kushimaru-senpai. Jinpachi-senpai." said Naruto not even turning toward the two swordsmen behind him.

"Hehehe! Naruto-kun! It seems you've gotten much stronger" came the voice of Kushimaru, a tall lanky swordsman with long spiky blonde hair and a hunter nin mask on his face.

"That you have Naruto. But how will you contend with two Swordsmen and a Perfect Jinchuriki." said Jinpachi, an average build swordsman with a pirate like appearance. Funky beard and eye patch definitely helped with that description.

"Well you guys seriously underestimate my strength currently at the moment." said Naruto before turning an eye to the two of them. "I'd kill you both if I wasn't pressed for time. So, I'll let them deal with you."

Kushimaru and Jinpachi's jumped slightly when two enormous fireballs came barreling out of the woods toward them. Jinpachi and Kushimaru evaded the fireballs, which exploded into the lake created by Naruto, only for the two swordsmen to be met in midair by hundreds of snakes. Jinpachi and Kushimaru both pulled out their Swords as they defended against the numerous snakes with gusto. Kushimaru with the Sewing Needle, Nuibiari. And Jinpachi with the splash sword, Shibuki.

"Konoha only sent three people?" questioned Naruto as he saw Itachi appear in an Anbu uniform, Shisui in the standard Konoha Jonin uniform, and Anko in a very provocative outfit with only a trench coat on over. Naruto also saw that she'd grown well and even more womanly since the Chunin Exams but he'd keep a level head. For now at least, Anko looked damn good.

"Sorry Naruto. Hokage-sama doesn't have the people available to send the cavalry. We're pretty much all that could come." said Shisui. "There are more down in the actual battlefield. We just came here because we figured we'd find out the game plan and if you needed some help. Glad we did, we'll handle these two."

Naruto just nodded his head. "Kiri will remember Konoha's help." said Naruto as Shisui just nodded his head.

"Good luck Naruto. We'll see you in a bit." said Itachi before turning back toward Kushimaru and Jinpachi. Naruto turned back to Yagura as the team of three took Kushimaru and Jinpachi far away from Yagura and Naruto.

"I guess I really did teach you most of my tricks." said Yagura as he stared at the still imposing Naruto in his Sage Mode. "Whatever you did to enhance your body has to end soon. You said you were on a time limit. Or is that more of your deception? You were always good at playing mind games."

_"Heh. Seems Yagura knows me well." _thought Naruto as he sat cool and confident in his sage mode.

One major drawback of using Sage Mode was the fact that you had to stay very still, no movement, or else the chakra wouldn't flow into you and you couldn't properly enter it. Naruto bypassed that rule with the use of Samehada. Merging with Samehada actually allowed the sword to siphon Nature chakra for Naruto instead of him doing it himself, allowing him to move freely. It did keep him from fully merging with Samehada and gaining the 'Tailless Tailed Beast' appearance as he dubbed it but it was a good alternative, actually better in Naruto's mind.

Naruto didn't answer Yagura though and just settled into that familiar stance.

**"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)" **said Naruto as a blanketing mist covered the battlefield he and Yagura were on, even more so than the mist that was already in the area. Yagura just shook his head and readied for Naruto's assault, even if he wouldn't know when or how it was coming.

_(Battlefield - With Mei and Ameyuri)_

**"Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu (Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique)" **said Mei before she spewed out a large amount of lava directly in front of her. Three Kiri Purist were in the lava's path as they countered with a spray of water, cooling the lava rapidly into rock. The three Purists were then in for a surprise when a spinning tornado of lightning sliced through the cooled lava and into them.

"Man I love this sword." said Ameyuri as she came to a stop from spinning. Ameyuri then attached the hilts of her Kiba blades, combining them into a dual-ended sword before spinning it in a circle. Lighting coated each end of the blades as it formed a perfect shield of lightning for the red-headed 'swordswoman' against the large amount of kunai sent her way.

"Yeah it's cool and all but it's not better than having two kekkai genkai." said Mei as she held the horse seal. **"Futton: Futto Ryu (Boil Style: Boil Dragon)" **

Ameyuri watched as the air around Mei suddenly grew hotter and steam began to rise from the water at their feet. The steam then shifted into that of a dragon with glowing blue eyes before it took off toward the five shinobi who tossed those kunai at Ameyuri. The Boil Dragon reached the area of the five before exploding into a shower of steam sending them sailing backwards.

"Eh. I'd still rather have the Kiba Blades." said Ameyuri before hearing a man drop to the ground about seven feet behind her. Ameyuri turned to the man to see him losing consciousness from a snake biting down on his neck. Ameyuri followed the snake's body up to see it coming from the sleeve of a woman that she recognized from the Chunin Exams. "Anko Mitarashi.."

"In the flesh." said the violet-haired Anko as her snake retracted back into her sleeve. "By the way, snakes are better than both that sword and those Kekkai Genkai, Mei Terumi."

Mei's eyebrows raised at that statement. "Is that so Anko Mitarashi, Tokubetsu Jonin of Konohagakure and one of the best at torture and interrogation. If I did read your information correctly." said Mei as Anko's own eyebrows raised.

"Seems someone did their homework. But you couldn't have known about me, the only person here who does is Naruto Hozuki. That means you got your information from him." said Anko looking Mei up and down. "How did you do it? How'd you get him to tell you about me?"

"Because she's been his roommate for five months now." said Ameyuri. Anko's eyes never left Mei at that statement.

"Well clearly he isn't that much into her. Or he wasn't there all the time. Because if he was, then he wouldn't have been staring at me so hard when I arrived up there just a minute ago." said Anko. "Seems someone hasn't tied him down yet."

Mei looked ready to respond to that before ducking a kunai thrust from a man behind her. The man's forward motion caused him to flip over Mei and land in between all three of the kunoichi.

"He was staring at you was he?" questioned Mei before planting a foot into the man's head when he tried to move.

"Oh yes indeed he was." said Anko before pinning the man's limbs down with four well placed Kunai. The man wanted to scream but Mei's foot was placed perfectly to muffle any noise he tried to make.

"Don't try to leave me out of this." said Ameyuri before ending the man's life with a Kiba blade to the heart.

Mei picked her foot up off the man while Ameyuri pulled her Kiba out of him and flicked the blood off. A secret competition had been started between the three girls as they all nodded their heads. Whomever got Naruto first would be the winner. Mei knew she had a leg up on the two, having already settled for alone time right after the war. This was in the bag but she wouldn't tell the other two girls, why not let them think she clearly was much better than them.

"Then it's settled. May the best girl win." said Mei before the three Kunoichi continued to take out more and more Purist.

_(With Shisui and Itachi)_

Allowing Anko to continue on to the actual battlefield, Shisui and Itachi decided it best to handle Kushimaru and Jinpachi in a team of two. That way Anko could get started on clearing out the battlefield, which would take much longer than taking out these two swordsmen.

"Hehehehe! The Sharingan. How pleasant, this will be my first time ever facing one of you in battle." said Kushimaru in a high-pitched voice that sounded extremely creepy and almost made him seem insane.

"Heh. Don't worry Kushimaru. I've faced the Sharingan before and it's not much to marvel at." said Jinpachi as he held Shibuki out in front of the two Uchihas. "This will be over soon and we'll head back up to help Yagura-sama."

"Is that so?" questioned Itachi, standing right in front of Jinpachi with a kunai lodged in his stomach. Kushimaru's eyes widened behind his mask to see Jinpachi taken out so quickly. Kushimaru's eyes then snapped open when he felt Jinpachi hit him on the head.

"Genjutsu. Dodge." said Jinpachi as he jumped out-of-the-way. Kushimaru turned his head to see a large fireball headed directly for him. Kushimaru jumped to the left only to be met by Shisui appearing in front of him with a Shunshin.

"That shunshin speed. You're Shisui of the Body Flicker." said Kushimaru as Shisui simply nodded his head.

"And you're dying." said Shisui in reply as Kushimaru looked down to see a kunai placed perfectly in his heart. Kushimaru felt life leave him as he couldn't believe he was taken out so easily. Kushimaru's eyes began to close as he slowly loss consciousness.

"Kai." said Jinpachi as Kushimaru's eyes snapped open again. "Don't stare into their eyes Kushimaru. That's how they trap you in Genjutsu. Get ready."

Kushimaru looked out to see Shisui and Itachi still standing in the same place.

_"They're pretty good. That makes it all the better." _thought Kushimaru before tossing Nuibiari at the two Uchihas. Itachi and Shisui didn't move though as the sword passed right in between them. Shisui's eyes widened when Kushimaru vanished in a feat of speed and grabbed Nuibiari.

"Hehehe! Let's see how you do!" said Kushimaru in the same voice, now standing behind both Shisui and Itachi. Kushimaru then rushed Shisui while Itachi noticed Jinpachi coming toward him. Swordsmen vs Uchihas was on.

_(Battlefield - With Chojuro)_

**"Hiramekarai Kai (Hiramekarai Release)" **said Chojuro in midair with the chakra blade, Hiramekarai, cocked back. Chakra burst out of the sword to form a hammer as Chojuro landed in the middle of a group of Purist and performed a spin. The chakra hammer decimated the group of Purist, sending them sailing away from Chojuro as he stopped spinning and let the chakra fade.

Chojuro then heard the sound of birds chirping behind him as he turned to see a Purist there. Though the Purist was dead as he had a hand coated in lightning through his chest. The hand slipped out of the man, letting him drop to the ground as a masked shinobi stood behind him. Chojuro's eyes widened as he recognized the man immediately.

"Kakashi Hatake. Konoha's Copy Ninja." said Chojuro in slight awe at the silver-haired ninja in front of him. Kakashi merely looked at Chojuro before giving him an eye-smile. How he got his eye to appear like a smile added only to the luster that was Kakashi Hatake.

"It seems my name proceeds me." said Kakashi still looking at Chojuro. Kakashi's eye smile stopped though as he looked around. "No time for me to feel happy about that though, we have more people to take out."

"He's right." came the voice of Kiri Hunter-nin captain, Ao. Ao looked at Chojuro, who turned at his voice, with a stern look. "Back in my day, we didn't have time to admire another shinobi. We were all about fighting and taking out the enemy. So stop with the googly eyes and get out there kid."

Chojuro merely saluted Ao. "Ha-Hai sir!" shouted Chojuro before sprinting toward the next Purist in his line of sight.

"Hmmph. Kids. Am I right?" questioned Ao as he looked to Kakashi. However, Kakashi was gone and already fighting. Ao then got grabbed from behind by a Purist ninja. "Damn. I'm the one talking too much."

Ao fought the man off him before disabling him and turning toward some more Purists. The fighting was getting more and more intense the more it went on and it didn't appear ready to stop any time soon.

* * *

_(With Shisui and Itachi)_

"I think I hate fighting swordsmen." said Shisui as he stood back to back with Itachi. The two were facing off against two of Kiri's best, Kushimaru and Jinpachi. Both were expert swordsmen, users of silent killing, and apparently one of them could activate the Kirigakure no Jutsu since mist surrounded both him and Itachi. "They're sneaky and could cut off our Sharingan with chakra heavy, water vapor."

Itachi didn't say anything but agreed nonetheless. Itachi instead chose to tap his right foot on the ground before ducking a toss of Nuibiari. Shisui heard the tapping of Itachi's foot and merely ducked as well, avoiding the large needle that would have cleanly gone through his head. Both Uchihas stood back up as Shisui still voiced his complaints.

"And Naruto's the worst of them all. Activating that mist before we got there so we couldn't see what he looked like." said Shisui speaking on the fact of Naruto hiding his physical appearance from them, all but his eyes. "Dude's sneaky man."

"Agreed. At least we didn't have to fight him." said Itachi before he and Shisui felt the activation of Yagura's Bijuu cloak.

"That can't be good." said Shisui before feeling Jinpachi's sword cut into his midsection.

"Should never take your eyes off your opponent. Goodbye." said Jinpachi as seals on the side of the sword cutting into Shisui activated.

**BOOM**

An enormous explosion occurred as when the smoke died down, Jinpachi was the only one remaining. The mist from their jutsu ended as Kushimaru appeared next to him.

"Hehehe! Seems that was easier than expected." said Kushimaru before he noticed something. "Wait, where's their body parts. There's no blood either?"

Jinpachi finally took notice of that as well. "Shadow Clones. Sneaky brats." said Jinpachi as he heard the sound of footsteps behind them. "You brats are quiet but no matter how light a footstep is, if you're not trained in Silent Killing, I'll hear you."

Jinpachi and Kushimaru turned around as they both met Kunai from the two Uchihas.

"Yeah. We figured as much. But at least that mist is out of here." said Shisui as now he and Itachi had Kushimaru and Jinpachi. Kushimaru and Jinpachi backed up from the two Uchihas as Jinpachi held the familiar Kirigakure stance.

"Well I can always bring the mist back." said Jinpachi before noticing something happening up on the hill, a violent chakra spike that he knew didn't come from Yagura. Many people in the battlefield also looked to ascertain what happened, except for Shisui and Itachi who were more than ready to press the advantage. Kushimaru and Jinpachi had looked up to ascertain what was going on and that proved fatal because Shisui and Itachi never stopped.

"I believe it was you would said 'Never take your eyes off your opponent'." said Shisui with his tanto shoved deep into Jinpachi's chest, right where his heart was. Kushimaru felt the same way as he had Itachi's sword in the same area. Jinpachi and Kushimaru both dropped to the ground lifeless as Itachi and Shisui just stared at them.

"We need to collect their swords. I'm certain Naruto will want them back in Kiri's possession." said Itachi as he picked up both Nuibiari and Shibuki. Shisui watched him as he made his thoughts known again.

"That seemed less spectacular than I thought it would be." said Shisui as Itachi only nodded his head. The two then looked up to the hill and their eyes widened. "Naruto is the G.O.A.T."

_(With Naruto and Yagura - earlier)_

"You know Naruto-kun. This war won't pan out how you believe it will." said Yagura into the blanketing mist. Yagura could barely see two feet in front of him and was a bit scared of Naruto's new power. However, he knew Naruto would have to come to him to beat him. "Especially this part. The longer you wait, the more time my Bijuu can amass chakra. And if I fully transform again, what are you going to do? What can you do?"

"Still talking I see." said Naruto standing behind Yagura already moving his Chokuto to slice into the Kage. Yagura had turned on a dime before Naruto even began to speak with his flower staff in hand as it met Naruto's Chokuto. "Not to mention, you forget exactly what I can do."

Yagura watched the sword in Naruto's hand disappear as he gripped the smaller Kage's wrist with his now empty hand. Yagura immediately felt a drain on his chakra levels from the small amount of contact.

_"He merged with Samehada, he can take chakra just from touch. And the chakra siphoning has increased tenfold, probably because of his new power." _thought Yagura who placed his other hand in the half ram seal. Yagura spewed out an enormous ball of water at Naruto, who merged with it before reforming on the other side in the same place. Though Yagura had put more distance between them in that span of time.

_"He's about to become the Sanbi again." _thought Naruto as his chokuto appeared back in his hand. _"I can't allow that to happen." _

_"Almost there. Almost there." _thought Yagura as he could feel the chakra getting stronger and stronger. Yagura turned to his right as he saw Naruto standing there with his chokuto poised to strike again. Yagura brought up his flower staff as he watched Naruto place the Chokuto back in his seal once more. _"Same trick. It won't work twice." _

Yagura realized he was wrong though as Naruto merely placed his hand on Yagura's flower staff, stopping it as his chokuto dropped out of the seal on that arm and into his other hand. Yagura then felt the sword pierce straight into his shoulder, having stepped back to evade but didn't make it far enough due to Naruto's size advantage over him. Yagura felt the sword's suppressing effect began to take hold on him.

"Kushina's sword. So troublesome." said Yagura in a slightly strained voice as Naruto had lightning chakra flowing through it, further paralyzing the Kage. "That was pretty good Naruto-kun but it falls short."

Naruto then watched Yagura spin his flower staff against his hand, which sent it end over end in the process. In doing so, the flower staff managed to hit Naruto's chokuto out of his hand and Yagura's shoulder and send it flying high into the air. Naruto retracted his hand sparking with lightning chakra as Yagura merely shook out the feeling of that chokuto in his shoulder.

"It's over." said Yagura as he burst with chakra. The chakra burst was so strong that it sent Naruto sailing away from him and even pushed his mist up and away due to the heat coming from Yagura's Bijuu cloak. Steam rolled up from the water that used to cover Yagura's ankles due to the powerful cloak of chakra Yagura was covered in. Naruto rolled from being thrown back and upon looking up could see Yagura standing in a version 2 cloak of chakra.

**"What will you do now Naruto-kun? You can't hope to face a Bijuu. Even with your chakra stealing ability, one Bijuudama and it's over. And I never miss, you know that."**

Yagura just watched Naruto stand up as he could see the Hozuki clan member just smiling. Yagura also noticed Naruto's hand still was covered in white lightning as he just placed his hands in the ram seal.

"Cloudy day we're having isn't it?" questioned Naruto as Yagura merely grew confused at that. There weren't that many clouds in the sky, it was relatively sunny. Upon looking up though, Yagura noticed something that made him realize what Naruto meant.

**"Cloudy day indeed." **said Yagura as he saw a giant thundercloud above him. Naruto's sword sat hanging perfectly inside of it and was absolutely shaking due to the lightning that was coursing through it at the moment. **"I thought the sword went too high when I hit it. When did you set that up?" **

"Do you know how thunder clouds are formed?" said Naruto as Yagura looked back down at him. "I really don't but I found that the mixture of cool air, let's say the mist I created just now, with hot air, like say the Bijuu Cloak you just activated, can cause thunderclouds to form. My chakra just speeds up the process and all the other scientific things I don't really know and boom, you have a thunder cloud. It's ingenious really and without you, I couldn't have done it."

Yagura knew that with the use of real lightning, there was no escaping the jutsu's speed. Naruto could feel his chakra anyway and at the slightest movement or fluctuation, that jutsu would strike him. Naruto had done it in every fight so far when taking out a target, although this was only the second time he'd be dropping lightning. However the rules applied regardless and Yagura was sure he'd do it now. Naruto had won, the fight was over.

Yagura just gave Naruto what appeared to be a smile. **"I see I've trained you well." **said Yagura as Naruto just nodded his head.

"Goodbye Yagura." said Naruto as he channeled his chakra. **"Raigeki" **

Naruto's sword came flying down coated by a bolt of lightning before smashing right into Yagura. The jutsu was so powerful that it caused a large flash bang to go off, obscuring the view just like the last time he used it for several seconds.

_(Battlefield - Mei)_

"Damn. He dropped another lightning bolt." said Anko with a whistle having seen the lightning come to the Earth before exploding outward. "The one during the Exams was nice but this one, this one had some umph to it. Something extra."

Ameyuri had watched the lightning bolt as well. "Yeah, that's because it's natural lightning. The lightning at the exam was created solely off his chakra and the stuff gathered by Samui's clouds. Natural lightning is much, much stronger."

"It would seem so.." said Mei hoping that if Naruto dropped that bolt of lighting then he surely was the victor. Mei then looked around to see all the fighting had stopped as everyone was looking up at what just occurred.

Several Purist began to drop their weapons as they looked up at the hill Yagura and Naruto were on. Mei looked back up to see Naruto holding Yagura up by the back of his shirt. In the middle of Yagura's chest was Naruto's Chokuto.

"He beat Yagura.." said Ameyuri in awe. "He really did it. I mean I know the lightning sort of signified it but...Yagura's dead. It really is over."

"Damn. I didn't really notice before because of the mist up there but.." said Anko eyeing the shirtless body of Naruto's, which only looked better with the hardened look on his face that screamed dominance. "Seems someone finally grew up. Can't wait to get a crack at that."

Mei and Ameyuri disregarded the Konoha Kunoichi as Naruto looked ready to speak.

Naruto was no longer in Sage Mode, finding no more use of it at the moment since his fight and the war was over at this point. When one side's General was taken out, usually the rest would surrender to not meet the same fate. Especially considering Naruto was now King of the Hill and Yagura was the Purist's only trump card whereas the Rebels had Naruto still, along with Mei and Konoha backing them up. For the Purist to continue fighting, they would be basically throwing their lives away.

Naruto merely pulled his Chokuto out of Yagura's chest before dropping the Kage to the ground.

"This war is over." said Naruto with finality. That simple action, just dropping Yagura to ground, seemed to get the rest of the Purist Army to lay down their weapons, indicating their surrender.

Naruto just looked around for a little longer before nodding his head to Mei. Mei understood her role now. Naruto watched from his perch atop the hill as Mei walked around with other leaders of the Rebellion, ensuring the Purist were indeed done fighting and would pledge their loyalty to them, to a united Kirigakure.

Obviously there would be some people, if not most, that would hold animosity toward them. That would be fine though, every village has a side who doesn't particularly like the leaders. Granted their disparity would be much greater than other villages but eventually the Purists would comply and become okay with the new Kiri. A united Kiri.

Naruto however wouldn't be able to see it just yet as he had something to deal with. Naruto vanished from his perch on the hill in a lightning shunshin.

_(Woods)_

Lightning sparked together before shifting into the shape of Naruto as Naruto himself appeared from it once the lightning disappeared.

"Oh Naruto-kun. A new shunshin I see." said Orochimaru as he and Sasori stood in front of him.

"Let them go." said Naruto. Naruto had sensed both Orochimaru and Sasori enter the battlefield. Naruto could also feel his only brethren in Mangetsu and Suigetsu currently taken hostage by the two.

"I told you I like this kid Orochimaru. He doesn't waste my time." said Sasori as he continued to look at Naruto. "You know we can't do that. We tried the easy way and you declined. Now we have to do it this way."

"Why do you want me to join your organization so bad? What am I to you?" questioned Naruto even as his hands clenched into fists. He wanted so badly to attack but he could feel Mangetsu's chakra weakening, likely dying from either a poison or venom.

"Naruto-kun, we know how strong you are. Plus you've taken out one of the strongest people in the world and a perfect Jinchuriki." said Orochimaru in a sinister voice reminiscent of his snake summons. "And we know you want to bring peace to the world as well and this will be your best bet."

_"Even if I could take them down, I wouldn't get far. I'd still lose Mangetsu-niisan and probably Suigetsu in the process." _thought Naruto as he just closed his eyes. _"Like Sasori said earlier, they won't stop coming back until I actually join them. The more I prolong it, the more people that'll get hurt because of it." _

"Can I meet your leader? I have a condition if I'm to join." questioned Naruto as he could feel a smile come to Sasori's face, even if it was hidden.

"You're becoming my favorite shinobi kid, you don't waste time at all." said Sasori before tossing Naruto a vial filled with black liquid. "That's to heal your friend. We'll return tomorrow for you. And you know what'll happen obviously if this is a trick..well I'm sure you can guess."

Naruto grabbed the vial before grabbing the cloak Orochimaru threw at him.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki Naruto-kun." said Orochimaru before he and Sasori walked away and left him alone.

Naruto held the black cloak with red clouds on it in his hands before letting out a breath.

"Akatsuki." said Naruto before heading toward Mangetsu to heal him up. "I hope everything works out in the end."

"It will Naruto-kun. You got me." said Samehada as Naruto smiled at that.

"Someone's gotten more and more confident in herself." said Naruto. "Is it that syncing with me that's got you like that."

Naruto felt Samehada 'shrug'. "I just might. But we will be fine. You remember what the Toad said." said Samehada as Naruto just nodded.

"Everything will work out. I'm certain." said Naruto as he continued on to Mangetsu and Suigetsu. "Damn. I'll have to tell Mei that I'm leaving again."

"She'll surely like that." said Samehada as Naruto just groaned and got to helping out Mangetsu and making sure he and Suigetsu were safe.

* * *

_(Kiri Rebel Island - Mei's Home)_

Night had fallen on Kirigakure as the war earlier took a while to finish uniting Kirigakure as a whole. It seemed to take so long due to Naruto's disappearance from the effort. All of Konohagakure troops left Kirigakure having not been needed anymore. There was no Kage at the moment but that would be sorted out later as Kirigakure would ease into its united stature.

Mei however wouldn't ease into Naruto leaving her alone to handle all of this herself. He was supposed to be the next Mizukage, especially considering he was considered by many as the strongest in Kirigakure now for taking out Yagura. But he literally disappeared at the end and Mei knew exactly where he was.

Mei opened the door to her home and just like she guessed, Naruto stood in the center of it. Mei was ready to attack Naruto verbally for leaving her like that and also feign reneging on their agreed upon after war activities, she actually might renege considering Anko was gone. Yeah, she just might.

Her plan didn't start as previously thought though seeing Naruto standing in the middle of her living room dressed in an all black cloak with red clouds on it. Mei also noticed that Naruto's things were gone as well, he was leaving again.

"Naruto-kun." said Mei as she shut the door to her home. Mei noticed Naruto's look and realized this was serious. "You're leaving again."

Naruto didn't answer Mei as he merely walked up to her and cupped her cheek. Mei wanted to tell him not to but when his lips pressed against her, Mei's want to say no disappeared with it as she kissed Naruto back.

Naruto retracted from the kiss as he stared into Mei's eyes. Mei could see the message hidden within those violet orbs.

"You're going away for longer this time..." said Mei. "You may not return..."

"I will always be on Kirigakure's side Mei-chan. Remember that." said Naruto. "But I have to go away. I'm joining an organization that likely isn't going to paint me in a good way in the coming years."

"Well that ruins my chance of you no longer being a criminal huh?" questioned Mei as Naruto merely smiled at her.

"So it seems. You might have to break your rule if you want me as a boyfriend." said Naruto as Mei just smiled.

"I'm not ready to break that rule just yet." said Mei as she leaned in closer to Naruto. "But you can help me."

Naruto just smiled. "How can I do that?" questioned Naruto. Mei never answered Naruto except lean in further and kiss Naruto deeply. Mei retracted from the kiss and opening her eyes, lust was heavy in them.

Naruto recognized the look and just picked the smaller kunoichi up and placed her against the wall, sitting her on a table.

"I'm sure I can do that." said Naruto as the two of them just smiled. Naruto then leaned in to kiss the Auburn-haired girl some more as Mei's eyes closed ready for the make out session that was to come, followed by an after war nookie.

The kiss never came though. And neither would the nookie as Mei heard a spark of lightning and felt the dropping of a letter in her lap. Mei's eyes opened as she saw the end of Naruto's lightning shunshin out of her home.

_"Damn. He got me again. That's three times." _thought Mei as she looked at the letter on her lap. Opening it, Mei read through its content.

(Letter Start)

_Mei-chan, my sweet little Mei-chan. Sorry about leaving you like that, I surely wanted to go along with that after war nookie but I'm on a time constraint. I'm writing you this letter to reaffirm you on the fact that I am forever Kirigakure. But it seems a fairy tale ending to Yagura's reign isn't in the near future. There's a group named Akatsuki, marked with black cloaks with red clouds on them like the one I was wearing, and they want me to join their organization. From what I can tell, they are a pretty powerful organization as it houses Orochimaru and Sasori as just members with a leader governing them. It's to my belief that whoever the leader is of Akatsuki, he or she took control of Yagura in some way as when I killed him, his chakra destabilized as if he was under a genjutsu. _

_I don't know what the organization is going to do, I frankly don't even know if I'll ever come back. But I have a plan and a powerful ally helping me along the way, so hopefully I'll come back to you. I may be gone for a while but I'll surely pop in on you in the coming days. Stay safe Mei-chan and lead Kiri in my absence. I know you can do it :)_

_Your future Kage, Naruto Hozuki_

_P.S. I totally will cash in that after war nookie in our next encounter. Believe it._

(Letter End)

Mei just sat with a smile, both sad and happy. Sad due to Naruto leaving again and becoming apart of a dangerous organization. But happy because Naruto clearly was all hers and if it was up to her, she'd keep it that way.

_"Come back soon Naruto-kun." _thought Mei as she just continued to sit atop the table in her home thinking of the white-haired swordsman.

_(Kirigakure - Outskirts)_

Naruto was walking atop the ocean that outlined Kirigakure as he was heading away from his home. His second time leaving Kirigakure but this time would be longer than before. And even worst because he'd be doing it with...

"Naruto-kun. You've joined us sooner than I thought." said Orochimaru as he eyed Naruto walking toward the two of them. Naruto had his Akatsuki cloak on, halfway unzipped to show his bare chest underneath. The tail end of Samehada poked out the back behind Naruto's head as he slowly walked up to Orochimaru and Sasori. Naruto's headband was nowhere on his person as instead of crossing through it to signify he was a missing-nin, he just took it off entirely. He wasn't missing nor did he want to break ties with Kirigakure at all.

"I had things I wanted to do but it'd be wrong of me to do them when I'd be leaving anyway. So why not get this over with as soon as possible?" questioned Naruto standing before Sasori and Orochimaru just as the sun began to rise.

"You're going to make it far in this world kid." said Sasori as he seemed to stand even though it looked like he already was. "And I see you've taken to the uniform."

Naruto looked at the cloak and picked up his hand to see dark purple nail polish on it. Naruto then picked up his left ring finger as a yellow ring with the kanji for South was on it.

"I'm assuming the ring and nail polish serve a purpose." said Naruto as Orochimaru merely nodded his head.

"Come Naruto-kun. We have much to show you." said Orochimaru as Naruto nodded his head and followed behind the two S-rank shinobi.

Akatsuki. Naruto had no clue what the organization was about other than the fact that it wanted World Peace. Naruto didn't know how they'd go about it but he was sure he'd find out soon from the leader he was about to meet.

* * *

**Review or Shoot me a Pm.**

**This is the 1st of a potential double posting. 10 people guess my Government (Birth) Name, I'll post the next chap.**

**Good luck!**

**-Hamp Out.**


	15. Akatsuki

**Back for the Double Posting. Chapter fifteen. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Man you guys were totally off guessing my name. But I never said you had to be right, you just had to guess. *Evil Laugh* Can you say mind game, cause I just did. This chap was coming out anyway so I figured why not mess with my readers and see what they thought of me and my potential name. Experiment successful despite your crappy name guessing skills.

Or maybe you guys really did guess my name? Who knows? For all you know, I'm not even a person. I could be a dog with a super brain. You never know and you probably won't ever. Pros and Cons of being on this site I guess.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Akatsuki**

Three months passed in a flash as Naruto sat upon a ledge on a mountain. Three months away from Kirigakure. Three months of no Mei. And three months of being apart of Akatsuki. The Akatsuki wasn't that bad from what Naruto could see besides Orochimaru, Sasori, and one other guy.

_"Pain. Konan. Kakuzu. Sasori. Orochimaru. And Zetsu." _thought Naruto thinking about each of the current members.

Pain was an orange-haired man with spiky hair and piercings aligning his face. Pain wore the Akatsuki robe with the blue and white shoes of Akatsuki. Aligning his nails was red nail polish and on his right thumb was a purplish-grey ring with the Kanji, Zero, on it. The peculiar thing about Pain was the pair of purple, rippled eyes that he had. Naruto understood they were the main source of his power and made him incredibly strong, enough to be the leader of a group full of S-rank members.

The next member was Pain's partner, Konan. To Naruto, Konan was a beautiful woman with blue hair and bright, orange eyes. She was fairly tall as well and the lavender eye shadow along with pierced labret made her only more beautiful. Same as Pain, Konan wore the Akatsuki Cloak with her blue pants functioning as shoes that ended as white heels. Finishing her Akatsuki wardrobe was orange polish on her nails and on her right middle finger a ring that bore the kanji, white. The peculiar thing about Konan was that she appeared to be made of paper and was very deadly in battle, always calm and collected.

Kakuzu was next, a tall man with tanned skin. Kakuzu looked to be in his prime but Naruto was told he was actually over 80 years old, due to his form of immortality. Kakuzu had green eyes with red sclerae and wore a white hood over his head that only showed his eyes. Kakuzu's nails were painted brown and the green ring on his left middle finger bore the kanji, North, on it. Naruto found Kakuzu to be extremely money-oriented and one of the worst guys right up there with Orochimaru and Sasori. He was homicidal in the fact that the last two partners Naruto had seen him have were now dead due to an insignificant disagreement between Kakuzu and that partner. Not to mention his immortality was achieved by harvesting organs from other people, that was downright diabolical.

Sasori and Orochimaru were the same from when Naruto met them. Sasori had his ring on his left thumb, Jewel the kanji on it, while Orochimaru had his on his left pinkie, Void the kanji displaying on it. Sasori wore teal nail polish while Orochimaru had black nail polish. Sasori was so bad that he was pretty much like Kakuzu, except he harvested an entire person, turning them into a puppet to use for battle. Orochimaru was bad because he just gave off a creepy vibe and from the heinous stories from his time in Konoha that led to him becoming a missing-nin.

The final member of Akatsuki was actually two people in one apparently, one side black and the other white. He was Zetsu, a man with a venus fly trap like appearance. The Black half of Zetsu was serious, quiet, and calculative. The White half of Zetsu seemed carefree, open, and aloof at all times. Zetsu wore the standard Akatsuki uniform with pink fingernail polish, blue toenail polish, and a ring on his right pinkie with the kanji, sign of the boar, on it. Zetsu was peculiar in that he wasn't an open combat type of fighter, more of a support type with his main role as Akatsuki's spy.

_"And I complete this group. For now." _thought Naruto as he felt a familiar chakra approaching their location. Naruto looked up to see Zetsu watching him closely, as if trying to determine his chakra sensing ability in relation to his own. _"A true spy, even trying to find out information within the group still. Very nice. But what is he doing here?" _

Three months of pretty much nothing besides Kakuzu killing his two partners and now things were about to get interesting it seems. Especially considering who was arriving.

"Naruto-kun come here. We have a new member joining our group." said Sasori as Naruto nodded at that and walked over to stand beside the puppeteer. "Though I'm sure you already knew that he was here."

Naruto stood next to Sasori as Orochimaru was on the other side of him. Pain was next to Orochimaru as Zetsu still stood situated in the back of the room. A figure came walking up through the open doorway as Naruto felt Orochimaru's chakra spike as if excited.

"Welcome our new member to Akatsuki." said Pain as the man stopped walking and stood in the doorway. The man had his eyes closed but upon opening them, a pair of Sharingan eyes were revealed.

"Itachi Uchiha." said Orochimaru almost giddily at his arrival. Itachi's face was emotionless but internally his mind was buzzing, mainly at one of the members in the group.

_"Naruto is here. That's who Jiraiya-sama meant." _thought Itachi as he walked in and was greeted by the group. Pain watched the interactions for a few seconds before leaving to his own devices. Pain made it out of the temple and in doing so, a paper butterfly few next to him. That paper butterfly was joined by thousands of other paper butterflies as Pain never stopped his stride when Konan appeared from the collection of butterflies.

"So that's his special person joining our group." said Konan as she walked side by side with Pain. Pain merely nodded his head.

"Itachi Uchiha. The man who massacred the entirety of the Uchiha Clan in one night." said Pain. "And not to mention he brought along Naruto Hozuki, the man who killed Yagura, a perfect Jinchuriki."

"Yes. Naruto-kun is great. Especially considering that capturing the Jinchuriki is what we're doing." said Konan. "He's perfect since he's been aiming to take out a perfect Jinchuriki since he learned to fight. His value to the group is nigh incomparable in that aspect. And if the stories of Itachi are true, he's also immensely powerful. But they are both only 13 years old."

Pain just nodded at his friend. "You're right. They are both very young. But our plans aren't even close to being complete yet. We'll have more than enough time before we actively start taking the Jinchuriki. They will grow." said Pain. Konan just nodded her head.

"8 members. We need two more and the group will be complete." said Konan as Pain merely nodded.

"Our dream grows closer with each passing day."

* * *

_(Somewhere in the Land of Earth - 2 Months Later)_

Two months had passed. Still no Kirigakure and still no Mei. At least things in the group of Akatsuki were better for Naruto. Itachi was there now and from what was established, was his partner. Itachi was quiet and somewhat cryptic in speech but he was someone Naruto knew and someone Naruto could understand.

Naruto never brought up Itachi killing his whole clan because Naruto knew that was painful to think about from his own experiences. Naruto had declared a Civil War against his own village and the lives lost never really sank in for Naruto besides the correspondence he got from Mei in their letters shared. Times were harsh in Kiri since the war ended but apparently Mei was handling it with a smile on her face and the same gusto and confidence Naruto would have if he was there.

_"Mei." _thought Naruto thinking about the girl, who while not given the title of Mizukage yet, appeared to be on the verge of getting it when it was all said and done and the village got down to picking one. He loved getting letters from Mei, shared the same way with messenger sharks between the two of them.

Ever since Naruto's departure, he'd been writing letters to her to keep her updated on him and for her to keep him updated on her and Kiri. That was Naruto's bargain with Pain, that he'd still be allowed to share letters with Mei and that no harm would come to his village in return for his services in the organization. Granted Naruto wasn't allowed to tell Mei what he was doing and Konan screened each of his letters for a while before realizing Naruto wasn't going to say anything about Akatsuki anyway, he didn't want Mei to worry more than she already had been. Naruto was just happy that he was protecting his village and even allowed to speak to someone from it. That kept him sane around all the crazy around him.

And speaking of crazy, Naruto thought he was going crazy as he listened to a blonde haired boy, two years younger than him hold a clay bug in his hand.

"Art is what?" questioned Naruto having heard what he said but just wanted more clarification. The blonde boy was seated with his back to him as he just lifted up the clay bug.

"Art is an explosion! Mmm." said the blonde boy known as Deidara, the Iwa Bomber. Deidara wore a blue and grey kimono jacket with a fishnet undershirt inside and khaki pants with sandals and a belt-like pouch with a chain. His blond hair was tied into a lower ponytail and his Iwa forehead protector was around his forehead. "I just want to display my art. I can do that without being apart of your group."

Naruto merely shook his head internally at that.

_"You're going to join Akatsuki. This organization makes sure that when it chooses a member, they join." _thought Naruto as he couldn't really make it known to Deidara without him potentially getting hostile and Naruto having to fight him. _"But instead of just saying yes, he wants to do it the hard way. I'm guessing this is how Orochimaru and Sasori felt when they tried to get me. This is exasperating." _

Naruto clearly wasn't the only one feeling that way as the man standing next to Naruto let out a breath. He was Naruto's partner in Akatsuki, Itachi. Itachi now wore the same uniform as him, albeit his own differences.

Itachi wore the Akatsuki cloak with mesh armor underneath, blue T-shirt over top of the mesh armor, white belt that held up his dark blue pants, and the same white and blue shoes that every Akatsuki member wore. Itachi's nails were painted purple and on his right ringer finger was a red ring with the kanji, Vermillion, on it. Completing Itachi's outfit was a small necklace that had three silver rings with red gems inside them.

"Enough." said Itachi taking a step forward. "I'll handle this."

Naruto merely said nothing as the puppet next to him, Sasori, merely nodded his head.

"If you so choose. This kid looks like the type to die early though." said Sasori as Deidara merely perked up at Itachi's words, disregarding Sasori all together.

"So it's a fight you want." said Deidara, standing up and placing a hand behind him. A clay centipede came crawling out of the mouth in the palm of his hand as it traveled down his leg and into the floor.

"Yes. And if I win, you will become a member of Akatsuki." said Itachi as his Sharingan eyes met Deidara's blue ones.

"Don't underestimate me or my art! Mmmm!" shouted Deidara before tossing the clay bug in his hand at Itachi. Itachi merely jumped back, following closely with the trajectory of the clay bug as Deidara held a half ram seal.

"Katsu!" said Deidara as the clay bug exploded right in Itachi's face, clouding him in smoke. Itachi appeared from the smoke cloud, landing on the ground unaffected by it before looking back at Deidara. "Gotcha."

Itachi merely looked down as Deidara's centipede from earlier had grown and wrapped around him tightly. Deidara just smiled before putting his hand back in the ram seal.

"Before you do that. You should take a better look at yourself." said Itachi as Deidara blanched at those words. Upon doing so, Deidara found himself tangled up by his own centipede, nearly detonating it and killing himself.

"Genjutsu? Since when?" questioned Deidara as he heard Naruto speak up from his left.

"The moment you looked at Itachi's eyes. You were trapped in a genjutsu." said Naruto smiling at the usage of his favorite Shinobi art by Itachi. Deidara's eyes then squinted as he was hit in the face by some sunlight.

Deidara then peered his eyes over as the smoke from the earlier explosion died down. A hole had formed in the wall from his clay bug detonating and Itachi sat perfectly in the hole, staring at him with his Sharingan on.

Deidara stared at Itachi's Sharingan, in awe of its beauty.

_"This..is art." _thought Deidara about the Sharingan. Naruto merely clicked his teeth.

_"Showoff." _thought Naruto as Itachi purposely stood in the perfect spot to appear absolutely awesome with the orange glow behind him and the statues that sat below him. _"I'd have done the same though."_

"You have lost this fight." said Itachi as Deidara begrudgingly allowed the centipede to fall from around him and he accepted his defeat.

"Told you he looked like the type to die early." said Sasori as the three Akatsuki members walked away with Deidara following behind them. "Contact Pain, we have a new member."

_(Four months later - Somewhere in the Land of Grass - Naruto Age 14)_

10 figures stood together in a circle as they all wore matching uniforms. Though they weren't all technically standing together, they were all holograms created by their leader's, Pain, jutsu. Two months prior, Akatsuki's final member had joined them in the form of Hidan.

Hidan was a member of the Hidden Steam Village and also the product of a successful experiment. The experiment was to create immortality and the only one who survived was Hidan. Hidan wore the Akatsuki cloak and was bare chested like Naruto underneath aside from a necklace representing his faith, Jashinism, showing. Blue pants and the white and blue shoes of Akatsuki finished his clothing while he wore his slashed Hidden Steam forehead protector around his neck and a triple bladed scythe sat against his back. Hidan's nails were a dark green and on his right index finger was an orange ring with the kanji, Three, written on it. Hidan was probably the most violent and twisted member of the group as his cult like religion beckoned him to sacrifice beings to its god, Jashin. It was despicable what he did but Naruto did nothing to stop him as he didn't want to feel the wrath of Pain, who was still considerably more powerful than everyone.

It didn't stop Naruto from pointing out something though.

"We haven't been all together in a while." said the hologram of Naruto as Pain seemed to nod.

"You're correct. We all know our goal of taking on the Bijuu to achieve the ultimate ambition of Akatsuki." said Pain. "However, we need funds to do such a thing. And also, we'll need knowledge of each of the Bijuu also. Zetsu will handle the latter part for now while the rest of you handle gathering money. Due to Zetsu leaving, Orochimaru is freed up and in need of a partner. Naruto."

"He'll be joining me and Itachi?" questioned Naruto as Pain merely shook his head.

"You have been granted a short break, two weeks. In the meantime, Orochimaru will partner up with Itachi in your absence." said Pain as Naruto's violet eyes seem to widen. "I will expect you back in that time and be ready to continue your duties to this organization."

Naruto merely nodded his head before his hologram vanished.

_(Kirigakure - 3 days later)_

Almost a year, a year since his disappearance from Kirigakure. People didn't know what to think of Naruto's absence from Kirigakure. The man who single-handedly defeated Yagura, widely considered by many as next in line to be Mizukage from his background of being trained by one and being the strongest shinobi, and that guy was no where to be found. The only person who'd heard anything about Naruto were his closest friends.

Two of those friends standing in Yagura's old office, the Mizukage's office. Ameyuri and Mei were one of the few people outside of Mangetsu who regularly got letters from Naruto. Chojuro also received letters but just like Mangetsu, he was a dude and constantly getting sent letters from another dude of updates just seemed dare he say, gay. Not that he had anything against gay people but if he could not be painted in that light, then that's what he'd do. Because he wasn't it and didn't want people to become confused.

Mei and Ameyuri didn't have that problem, both being pretty and that they were women. So Naruto obviously enjoyed talking to them with handwritten letters every chance he got. In the year since Naruto's absence, Kirigakure had changed drastically. No longer in the tyranny of Yagura, Kirigakure was so much more lighter and open. The village just gave off good vibes.

And just a few days ago, the village announced a new Kage. Now being that Naruto was longer there, having disappeared from the face of the Earth, people chose someone who was considered his rival and also the person who'd done most of the heavy lifting since Naruto leaving, Mei Terumi.

"Godaime-sama. Ugh. I should be saying this to Pretty Boy." said Ameyuri as she addressed her leader Mei. Ameyuri had grown more in the year since Naruto was gone but still adhered to her swordsmen lifestyle. Her red hair was the same length as before with the piece cloth in it they held up a piece of hair on each side of her head. Her clothing hadn't changed since the war but if one were to look pass the loose clothing, they'd find a perfectly shaped body underneath. She hadn't grown much taller, still relatively short at only 5 feet tall and not looking like she would grow any more. Nonetheless, the 16 year old was considered one of the beauties of Kiri in her own ways.

"I agree.." said Mei speaking of Ameyuri having to call her Mizukage instead of Naruto. Mei did share something with Ameyuri though in that she was also considered one of Kiri's most beautiful women. Mei's hair extended well down her back, just reaching her backside in a herribone pattern, a top knot tied by a blue band, and four bangs at the front. Two bangs are short, with one covering her right eye still, and two are long, crossing each other over her chest, just below her chin.

Mei took to her new post as Mizukage and with a new job, came a new wardrobe, at least in her mind it did. Mei now wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below her knees. Closed by a zipper somewhat in the front, leaving the right side open down below her waist. The dress is revealing though, only covering the upper part of her arms and the underside of her chest. To keep modesty, under her dress Mei wears a mesh armor body suit that covers more than her dress does and flows into her grey high-heeled sandals and shin-guards, that reached above her knee. Mei covers the open part of her right side with a small navy blue skirt and around her waist is a belt with a pouch attached to the back. Finishing off Mei's outfit as always was blue nail polish on her fingers and toes and lipstick colored fuchsia on her lips.

Mei was stunning to most and her beauty only matched her power and grace. She was the best alternative to Naruto, sharing his peaceful views for Kirigakure and also commanding respect from the Kiri populace for her abilities.

"So. How is it out there? It's been a year, I'm certain that most of the Purist are getting better but that may just be my presence." said Mei as she turned to Ameyuri. "Have you heard of anyone still outwardly showing hostility to the new Kirigakure?"

Ameyuri merely shook her head. "I have not Mei-chan. If they do have hostility they are good at keeping it either to themselves or at a minimum." said Ameyuri as Mei just smiled.

"Great. That makes all this better at least." said Mei. "Kirigakure did take a blow though, Naruto killed Yagura and in the process did the same to the Sanbi. From previous knowledge, when a Bijuu is killed..they just disperse and reform again. So hopefully it comes back to Kirigakure."

"I'm certain it will. Before Yagura was made its Jinchuriki, Pretty Boy said the Sanbi was found right off the coast of Kirigakure. It prefers the climate and water here apparently." said Ameyuri as Mei just nodded.

"Naruto-kun. You think he's okay?" questioned Mei.

"Well he writes letters like he's okay. I haven't heard of him doing anything detrimental, he's just very secretive. Won't tell me anything about what he's doing." said Ameyuri. "Probably doesn't want me to worry like I already am."

"Yeah, same here." said Mei, who actually knew Naruto was in Akatsuki unlike the rest of Naruto's friends. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Hopefully one day he comes back."

"Yeah. Hopefully he makes it soon. I miss him." said Ameyuri as Mei just agreed. "Well, I guess I'll head home. I'll certainly let you know if anything happens."

"Thank you Ameyuri-chan. You've been a real help." said Mei as the swordswoman just walked out but left a few more words.

"Anything for you, Godaime-sama." said Ameyuri as she closed the door. Mei just blew out some air, lifting her bang before it fell back into place, as she sat at her desk.

"This was supposed to be your job Naruto-kun." said Mei thinking about all the things she'd been doing. "Uniting Kirigakure while also bring back up its economy is hard work. The stress is killing me."

"Stress. That's never good." came a voice behind Mei as her green eyes widened, not only recognizing the voice but realizing if she could hear his voice, that meant he was there in the room. Mei felt a hand land on each shoulder before beginning to massage her stress away causing Mei to close her eyes at that.

"Naruto-kun.." said Mei as he merely hummed at his name being called. "You're back."

"Only for a little while. I have to be back in 10 days." said Naruto as he continued to rub Mei's shoulders. Pressing a little deeper caused Mei to let out a 'Mmm' signalling he hit the correct spot. Mei's eye peeked out, making sure this was real and could see Naruto smiling at her. He still had his Akatsuki cloak on but it was unzipped all the way, showing only his bare chest and blue pants were underneath.

_"Kami. Look at that body." _thought Mei eyeing Naruto as her own body began to heat up at that. She remembered exactly what Naruto said would happen when he returned and it was almost like foreplay, Mei was ready. But she didn't like the time constraint she was given.

"Only ten days. That's not enough time." said Mei.

"You're right, but it is plenty of time for this." said Naruto before he leaned over Mei's shoulder and planted a searing kiss on the village's newest Kage.

**Lemon Start**

Naruto released the kiss after a while as Mei opened her eyes to fully look at him. Samehada sat off to the side as Mei just continued to stare into Naruto's eyes.

"I stand by what I said. 10 days isn't enough." said Mei as Naruto's eyebrows perked up in excitement. Mei wasn't playing around at all and from his leaving her last time, she was going to get what she wanted this time around. And if 10 days wasn't enough for long overdue after war nookie, what was about to happen. "I'm going to break you."

Naruto merely gave a challenging grin before watching Mei stand with a hand moving to his chest, pushing him slightly, and causing Naruto to lean on the desk, practically sitting. Mei's eyes hadn't left Naruto's as she smiled happily and straddled the man before her, Naruto's hands moving naturally to her hips.

Naruto's hands then began to rub slowly up Mei's sides as she placed his head in between her bosom, feeling his hot mouth touch the parts of her skin through her mesh armor.

"Mmm-jou mm-race mm-shogud." said Naruto as Mei blinked at his muffled speech and pulled back to give him a questioning gaze. "I said, you taste so good." Naruto's eyes then traveled down Mei's body to the part straddling him. "I wonder what the rest is like."

Naruto looked back up at Mei to see her blushing slightly before that look turned down right predatory, causing Naruto's blood to boil at the sexy look. Mei grabbed both of Naruto's hands and trailed them to the back of her dress. Naruto understood what he was to do and began to pull down the dress, revealing Mei's bountiful chest and pink nipples.

Naruto's hands moved back though as Mei was already removing him of his Akatsuki cloak, allowing the fabric to hit the desk. Mei began kissing Naruto with more fervor due to her excitement rising, feeling Naruto prod her with the bulge growing in his pants. Green eyes met violet as the two pulled back, ending the kiss.

"You're so hard." said Mei, feeling a yearning in the pit of her stomach as she began to grind Naruto's erection while rubbing her hands all over Naruto's chest and upper body. Naruto's hands were merely running through Mei's hair as she had leaned down to kiss him some more. Heat began to hit both of the teens hard as Naruto allowed his pants to fall after unbuckling his white belt and Mei removed the rest of her dress, one leg at a time to stay on top of Naruto in the process.

"Much better." said Naruto kicking his pants off to the side with his shoes while Mei did the same to her heels, leaving the two teens nude. "Before I forget."

Mei watched Naruto place his hand to her stomach as a small seal spread out across it, right across her navel down to right above her waist before disappearing. A birth control seal. Mei smiled at Naruto being cautious before seeing him move his head forward right into her neck.

Mei's body pressed into Naruto's when he assaulted her neck and collarbone with his mouth, alternating between kissing and biting. Mei could feel herself getting wet and moved her knees more on top of the desk, letting out a moan of pleasure as Naruto had finally moved his way to her breast.

Mei had had enough, Naruto didn't seem in any hurry to give her what she really wanted and it had been poking her the entire time, only furthering her desire and causing her to go mad at not getting it yet.

"Naruto-kun..." said Mei in a low tone as she lavished the feel of Naruto tending each breast with his mouth, with equal treatment. Mei began to position herself over Naruto as she heard Naruto free his mouth from her breast with a pop. "I'm ready.."

"Yeah. I'm right here if you need me. Okay?" questioned Naruto, knowing full well what was about to happen. Mei just nodded before sliding herself down atop Naruto and reaching resistance that both knew would be there. "Take your time Mei-chan. I can wait."

Mei sat for a few seconds as she ran a hand through Naruto's hair. Somehow finding courage in his hair, Mei plopped down, pushing Naruto fully inside and breaking her hymen in the process. A sharp cry came from Mei, who shivered slightly in Naruto's lap at the physical barrier of her virginity being broken. Mei found Naruto's lips against hers in an effort to somewhat console her as Mei realized Naruto's lower body hadn't moved at all.

_"Naruto-kun must have the willpower of a God to do that." _thought Mei pulling back to see Naruto still hadn't moved, probably trying to not hurt the girl more in case he would by moving. Mei felt the pain dull to a small throb before she began to move slowly up and down Naruto to smooth out the feeling of having her cherry popped and the feeling of Naruto inside of her.

Naruto's eyes were shut as he still hadn't moved, despite his entire body screaming at him to quicken the pace. He knew if he saw what was happening he'd break so he kept his eyes closed to allow Mei to get comfortable as she continued up and down him to her own accord. Naruto felt the pace begin to steadily quicken as he opened his eyes to see Mei with a predatory look returning in her eyes.

"Come on Naruto-kun." said Mei eyeing Naruto as she moved faster and faster. "Are you going to do something or am I just too good?"

Naruto's eyes lit up at that. "You wish." said Naruto as his hands moved to underneath her thighs and he helped her move up and down him. Mei let out a cry as her head tilted back a bit when Naruto actually met her downward thrust with an upward thrust of his own. "Naruto Hozuki just made Mei Terumi scr-"

Naruto's words died as Mei had ended his cocky sentence by putting her mouth to his. The two shinobis' tongues met in a fight for dominance as Mei continued to ride Naruto during the make out session.

_"Kami Naruto...this feels so good." _thought Mei. _"This is way better than anything I'd ever read in romance novels. And fuck you're so big."_

_"Thank you Jiraiya-sensei." _thought Naruto realizing that Mei was thoroughly enjoying herself. When Jiraiya met up with Naruto in Uzu, he'd given Naruto a one on one guide to the ladies crash course after seeing who Naruto's roommate was. And it seemed the Toad Sage knew what he was talking about as every gesture with his hands was on point with what Jiraiya said. And one thing Jiraiya drilled in Naruto's head was that a change in positions every now and then was usually a good idea.

Mei plopped down on Naruto again before feeling herself be lifted into the air. Naruto had stood up and turned before laying Mei down right on the desk in her office, away from his cloak to not further stain it. Mei looked down seeing that Naruto was on the table as well before feeling him plunge back into her. A look of ecstasy crossed Mei's face as Naruto's pace started slow and picked up to even faster than before as he drilled her over and over with gusto.

Naruto had his hands on Mei's legs, which were in the air, as he sort of used them as a push off point. Mei then felt her lower body lift into the air a bit before a fast set of strokes hit her and her body shivered from the contact.

"Fuck.." drawled out Mei as Naruto began to slowly move in and out of her, stopping only when he was fully in and her body shivered just like before.

"Found your spot.." said Naruto as Mei peeked an eye down to the confident boy inside of her. Mei's head then rolled back again as Naruto picked up the pace and continued drilling the same spot over and over again. _"Dude. Jiraiya is the man. I'll have to thank him someday." _

Watching what you were taught come true was all the motivation one needed to get pass the nerves that came with their first time. It'd began when Mei reacted to Naruto's massage and the way her body heated up from his kissing her neck and chest. And now it was even working with the actual sex too. Naruto's confidence was beaming and added further to the fierceness of his strokes.

"Naruto-kun..Oh sh-Naruto-kun... Don't..Don't stop." said Mei in a strained voice as Naruto merely obliged to her request. "Oh shit, Naruto please don't stop."

Mei's legs found their way onto Naruto's shoulders as Naruto leaned into, causing himself to go just a bit deeper into Mei than before. Mei felt Naruto's hands land on her wrists, holding her arms down and keeping her in place as he continued to thrust into her. A tightness found its way in Mei's stomach as her breathing began to grow shallow.

" ..I think. I think I'm abou..Fuck." said Mei underneath Naruto as her body tighten fast, especially her pussy which clamped down hard on Naruto. Naruto felt the intensity of Mei's climax and from the added tightness and Naruto not stopping, his own climax reached him faster because of it.

Naruto didn't say a word, merely placing his head on Mei's legs as Mei's climax seemed to milk Naruto for his in the process. Mei felt the warmth of Naruto's seed enter her and without a doubt became her favorite feeling ever, moving immediately to the top of the list. Naruto finally stopped throbbing inside of Mei as her legs fell to either side of him and she felt his grip on her wrists loosen.

Mei's hands slithered out of the grip before grabbing Naruto and pulling him into a kiss. Mei kissed Naruto passionately and stopped when she felt Naruto slide out of her causing a pout to cross her face.

"I didn't want you to leave just yet." said Mei as that complete feeling of having Naruto in her vanished when he left. Mei then had a look of confusion as Naruto appeared to be patting himself down and checking himself over. "What's wrong?"

"I don't...I don't. I don't feel like anything broke? I'm just checking to make sure though." said Naruto before stopping and smirking at Mei. A smirk made its way on Mei's own face as she latched a hand to Naruto's manhood after sitting up.

"I couldn't break you just yet." said Mei slowly pumping Naruto's cock in her hand. "I have 10 whole days to do that. And I plan to get every second. Believe it."

**Lemon End**

* * *

_(3 years later - Naruto Age 17)_

"So this is the best option?" said Naruto as he stood on a boat that was sailing across the ocean. Behind Naruto were dozens of men and they were all carrying equipment that ranged from cameras to sound booms, they were filming a movie. "Our best option to make money is to protect a movie star?"

Itachi merely nodded his head as Naruto was staring at a woman. The woman was Yukie Fujikaze, famous actress best known for portraying Princess Gale.

Yukie has long black hair with bangs that swept on each side of her face and light blue eyes. While filming, she wore pink eye shadow and red lipstick for her character as Princess Gale. Her outfit consisted of a green blouse over a pink jacket with brown gloves. All in all, Yukie was a beautiful woman and her manager, the man who asked for Akatsuki's services, paid Itachi and Naruto well just to keep an eye on her.

"Well there's no need to complain than I guess, this seems rather easy for what he's paying us." said Naruto as he and Itachi just sat together at the front of the boat watching the group go over lines for their movie.

"You only say that because who we are protecting is attractive. You could careless about the money." said Itachi quietly as Naruto never loss face at being called out at that.

"You're right. I don't need the money." said Naruto as the riches inherited to him by Kushina and the ones found in Uzu would have him loaded for a lifetime. "But it never hurts to make my own while also building up my name. I think I'm at 100 million in the Bingo book now."

"SHHH!" shouted the director at Naruto, who was talking too much and interrupting the scene they were doing. Naruto merely put a hand to his mouth, making a zipper to convey he'd be silent. The director turned back around before continuing what he was doing, prompting Naruto to keep talking albeit lower this time.

"You know what I thought about. I never really asked you how you punked Orochimaru." said Naruto speaking of the things that occurred when he was given his first reprieve from Akatsuki work. He'd been the only one given a reprieve seeing how he wasn't actively being looked for as a missing-nin, not needing protection in Akatsuki like the rest of the members. "All I heard was he tried to take your body and you cut his hand off."

Itachi's face remained stoic. "That is how it went." said Itachi as Naruto merely gave him a shark-like grin.

"I bet you went all Sharingan Genjutsu on him and when he tried to stop it, you cut his hand off." said Naruto as he didn't get Itachi to react at all to his assumption. "Yeah. I bet that's what happened. I wonder what'll happen on this mission though."

Itachi merely looked over at Naruto continue to talk as he'd been for the past few days abroad this ship and the last three years in their partnership. Naruto would talk and talk and Itachi would answer only when he deemed necessary or Naruto was actively asking him a question. It wasn't annoying but Naruto did talk a lot.

If anything it could have been worst though, Naruto was at least cordial with Itachi and never tried to dive too deep into things about him. He was just Naruto. And Itachi wouldn't complain because the other members of Akatsuki were way worst than him outside of Konan and Pain. But those two were never around.

After this mission though, Akatsuki would have enough money to start a campaign in capturing the Tailed Beasts though. They may not capture them all just yet but the members would actually be allowed to study their targets more up close than from just information from Zetsu. Neither Itachi and Naruto wanted to take a life but if it meant protecting their village, the two would do what was necessary.

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**Review or shoot me a pm.**

**So I don't get a bunch of questions. I skipped a lot and may have loss a few on what the timeline is.**

**The current time is right before Canon starts. I'd say two weeks before the Rookie 9 graduation and the Mizuki thing. Story is about to hit the Canon timeline and it should be interesting, can't wait to show you all.**

**Btw, some reader said Orochimaru left the organization years ago and that I wasn't keeping up with the timeline, leaving tons of questions that weren't answered. I said "Whaaaaa?" and shot that reader a pm to ask how and they never responded so I'm assuming they recognized that I was right or they haven't responded. Either way, I'm pretty sure I stayed as tight to Canon as possible, outside of Kirigakure but if I'm wrong, let me know dang it. So I can fix it and make it all nice and smooth for everybody.**

**Enough talking, I'll probably take this down after a few days anyway. I don't want to boost the word count with words in the bottom unless necessary. So yeah.**

**-Hamp Out**


	16. Surveillance

**Another Day, Another Post. Chapter 16. Enjoy**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Grad School is the bane of my existence. I've actually been celibate and sober for longer than I can remember. I literally do nothing but sleep, eat, school, workout, work...that's it. No Women, No Alcohol, No Fanfiction...goodness. This Master's Degree better be worth it.

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**Chapter 16: Surveillance **

Calmly sitting on the ledge of a snowy mountain peak, Itachi sat with his eyes closed as a small breeze blew through the air. The gentle current of the wind blowing his hair, causing it to sway to the left a bit as he sat almost motionless.

"You're really not going to help him?!" came the panic filled voice by the concerned actress, Yukie. That exclamation was followed closely by a large explosion occurring not 20 feet from their position. An explosion that had Naruto in its epicenter.

Yukie was startled by the violent explosion as Itachi merely opened his eyes, unfazed by neither the sound, Yukie jumping behind him, or the heat coming from the blast. Not even for his comrade's health.

"Naruto-kun is in no danger. He has it well under control." came the smooth voice of Itachi as Yukie's face turned to one of shock as she turned to Itachi with concern laced in her words.

"No danger?! That's a military War Blimp. He can't possibly compete against that alon-"

"He's right Yukie. I'm fine." came the voice of Naruto standing perfectly fine behind her. Yukie turned around as she met the shirtless form of Naruto, who had thrown his cloak off well earlier into the battle at hand. "Though you do have some explaining to do Yukie-chan. Or should I say, Koyuki-hime?"

The now aptly named Koyuki placed her head down at being called out like that. With good reason too though. All of this was due to her true heritage.

Yukie Fujikaze, famous actress, was actually born Koyuki Kazehana and the only child to previous Land of Snow Daiymo, Sotetsu Kazehana. Based on her lineage, she is rightly the new Daiymo of the Land of Snow given her father's untimely death. The death that came from his own brother's, Koyuki's uncle, hands. He was also the guy piloting the large War Blimp at the moment.

"It's a long story Naruto-san..." said Koyuki still slightly ashamed that her past managed to catch up to her and put her bodyguards in danger.

"I'd still love to hear it though." said Naruto with a smile before another large explosion rang out near them. "Maybe after this is over. Promise?"

Koyuki merely gave Naruto a quizzical look to see him still so confident. They were sitting ducks to an enemy that had the clear advantage at this point and yet he was perfectly calm, cool, and collected. Simply nodding her head, Naruto took that as a yes.

"Great. Catch you in a bit." said Naruto before he dispelled in a poof of smoke. Koyuki's eyes widened to see that the Naruto in front of her was a clone the whole time, just like the one who was detonated in that earlier explosion.

"Wait." said Koyuki. "Then where's the real Naruto?"

**BOOM**

Another violent explosion rang out. This time however, it came from the side of the blimp being blown out with several figures dropping from the air weapon and away from the fiery crash it was headed to. Koyuki bore witness to her uncle and his three helper ninjas landing roughly on the ground as Naruto came to a smooth landing next to them atop a small lake.

"How..How did you get abroad our ship? There was no way you were on it from the get go, I would have known." came the voice of Koyuki's Uncle, Doto Kazehana.

Doto was a tall man with long black hair that fell past his shoulders. He was wearing a tight black, sleeveless shirt, dark green pants with black boots on to finish. Over top of his shirt was a plated armor with a small beam of light in the middle that was created by chakra. And at the moment, he had a rather pissed look on his face at the teenager who just blew up his War Blimp.

Naruto however just shrugged his shoulders, uncaring about Doto's killing intent directed at him. Naruto had dealt with worst from much stronger foes.

"I hailed a crow. Anyway, lets get on with this. I'm freezing out here man." said Naruto, still ticked off that he decided to rock no shirt underneath his Akatsuki cloak. Of course only because it was below 0 degrees at the moment and that wind was unforgiving to his bare upper body. "I could probably cut steel with my nipples right now to be honest."

"You think you can face me?" came the questioning tone of Doto before watching Naruto put his hands in his pockets and take on an uninterested look. Doto's anger spiked along with his chakra as he barked out orders to the few in his contingent that survived the crashing of his blimp. "Nadare, Fubuki, Mizore...kill him."

The three people that crash landed with Doto were standing up as they listened to their leader.

"Of course Doto-sama." said Nadare as he and the other two took off toward Naruto, who still had his hands in his pockets.

"Finally some action. Let's go wild." said Naruto as he engaged the 3 Yukigakure shinobi. The female of the group arrived at Naruto first as she flashed through several hand seals rapidly.

**"Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki (Ice Style: Flying Swallow Attack)" **said Fubuki as from the ground, dozens of small ice birds came flying out at Naruto. Naruto merely jumped left, off the lake, to avoid the birds only to see them make a U turn and come right back toward him.

_"They can use Hyoton. But not the kind from Yuki Clan members in Kiri, they use preexisting ice." _thought Naruto before pulling his right hand out of his pocket. The tips of Naruto's fingers glowed blue with chakra. Naruto then planted his hand on the ground, causing a circle of chakra to appear around him.

**"Uzumaki Suienjin (Uzumaki Water Formation)" **said Naruto as a large blue barrier rose around him. The ice birds hit the barrier and shattered upon contact, leaving Naruto unharmed by the pesky jutsu.

"That's a nice counter. But let's see how it does against this." said Nadare before he went through his own hand seals. **"Hyoton: Haryku Moko (Ice Style: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger)" **

After shouting his jutsu, a large ice tiger came flying from behind Nadare as it headed directly for Naruto and his barrier. The tiger got ten feet in front of Naruto before an absolutely blinding mist entered the field, just as the tiger made contact.

"What just happened?" questioned Nadare as he could see no more than 3 feet in front of him, if even that far of a distance. "He created this.. Where is he?"

What felt like minutes passed by as Nadare continued to stand alone in the mist trying to feel for his comrades.

"You should really know when you're outclassed." said Naruto, just after plunging his Chokuto through Nadare's chakra armor and through the man himself. Nadare coughed up blood immediately at the blade piercing him through one of the most vital of organs, his heart.

"My chakra armor..it couldn't stop this..." said Nadare turning his head to get a glimpse of Naruto's face.

"My sword has chakra suppressing abilities. Your armor is fueled by chakra and thus, easy to stop from helping you." said Naruto. "And without that chakra coating your armor, you all are nothing as is this armor. You rely too heavily on it and that's your downfall."

Naruto then slid his Chokuto out of Nadare as the man fell to the ground dead before he got there. Naruto then flicked his sword clean of Nadare's blood before his eyes perked up at Doto's chakra spiking again.

**"Hyoton: Soryu Bofusetsu (Ice Style: Twin Dragon Blizzard)" **came the loud voice of Doto as two large dragons made from what appeared to be black ice appeared off the ends of his closed fists. The dragons then merged in front of Doto before turning into a large snow blizzard that tore a path straight toward Naruto and his mist.

Naruto dodged the blast luckily thanks to sensing Doto's chakra buildup but the jutsu also managed to clear the area of Naruto's mist. When the mist cleared, Doto bore witness to his 3 most trusted shinobi all dead, laying atop red snow stained with their blood.

Doto's eyes widened at that before turning his head to Naruto who still had one hand in his pocket and his Chokuto in the other.

"Who are you?" questioned Doto as Naruto decided to indulge the man.

"I am Naruto Hozuki. Shinobi of Kirigakure and member of the Uzumaki Clan along with the Hozuki Clan." said Naruto. "The wielder of the Sharkskin sword, Samehada, and the ninja who dropped a lightning bolt. Twice."

Doto's eyes widened at that as his recollection finally caught up to him at the last sentence said by Naruto.

"You're the kid who launched the siege over Kiriagkure and defeated the tyrant Yagura..." said Doto as Naruto nodded his head. "How do I not remember..You're page 7 in the Bingo Book."

"Man, only seven? I'll try to bump that up here soon. Can't have people thinking there are 6 other people out there who are stronger than me." said Naruto in a nonchalant manner. "I want to be a page one-er like Minato Namikaze. That guy was scary good."

The clanging of a kunai sounded out as Naruto blocked the thrown ninja tool at him by Doto with a wave of his Chokuto.

"You also have 85 million Ryo on your head. That'll be a nice addition to my payday after I defeat you and take that hexagonal crystal from Koyuki's neck and collect the treasure of the Land of Snow."

Doto then stood up as he charged Naruto with intent to land murderous blows from the swings he was taking. Naruto just dodged the first few fists before stepping into one of Doto's hooks. Leaning his head to the side, Doto's fist missed Naruto's head by the slimmest of margins before Doto felt Naruto's sword hit his chakra armor.

Naruto's sword didn't even crack Doto's armor before he was violently smacked in the face by the backside of Doto's forearm.

"My armor's stronger than theirs boy. Your sword won't be getting through this metal even with its chakra suppression abilities." said Doto before noticing that Naruto's head was missing from his body, which still stood in front of him. Naruto's head reformed with a frown adorning it as he looked at Doto.

"See, now that's that Bullshit." said Naruto before he violently kicked Doto away from him. "Why not let your subordinates get stronger armor like yourself? You basically let them die because of it. And you managed to hit me. Do you see how pretty my face is, what if that had of left a mark?"

"Did you just call your face pretty?" said Doto, feeling the imprint of Naruto's foot even though he was certain his chakra armor should have blocked it. Doto then remembered that Naruto's sword was still touching his chest and likely stopped the chakra coating it from defending against the kick.

"Koyuki-hime thinks its pretty." said Naruto, causing the princess to blush. "But regardless, this is over. I do wonder though, before I kill you. You said the hexagonal crystal leads to the treasure of the land of snow? How does that work?"

"I'll never tell you scum." said Doto before he stood up and began channeling chakra for his next technique. "I'll just kill you all right now. **Hyoton: Dai Bof-"**

**"Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shoha (Water Style: Great Exploding Water Wave)" **said Naruto before he let loose a crushing wave of water that slammed into Doto, stopping him from utilizing his own jutsu. Doto was concussed for a second and when he came to, he was trapped in an enormous dome of water. Looking out in front of him, Naruto had a shark like grin plastered on his face as she sat in the water dome with the helpless man.

Doto only watched as Naruto had a small strand of blood floating above him before he saw an enormous seal spread out in front of the dangerous Kiri ninja.

_**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)" **_thought Naruto before his megalodon, Fuka, came speeding out of the seal to settle right in front of the frightened Doto.

**"Hello" **said Fuka with a big grin on his face. **"Name's Fuka...I understand your anxiety. Why trust a shark?"**

Doto watched Fuka turn around before Fuka lunged back at him, inches away from gobbling Doto whole. Doto wanted to move, wanted to scream, wanted to do anything but he just couldn't. Paralyzing fear of being eating by a 60 foot shark had something to do with his inability to do anything but stare.

**"Ha ha ha ha!" **said Fuka as Naruto just shook his head and let Fuka finish Doto off. Naruto exited the side of his large water prison before landing on the freezing cold snow of well, the Land of Snow. Shivering upon making contact, Naruto was feeling real sour.

_"No shirt. Just drenched myself in water. And it's freaking cold... This is some Bullshit." _thought Naruto to himself, teeth clattering against themselves. _"I should have let Itachi handle it like he said he could. It would have gone faster and I wouldn't be cold. Why'd I do this again?" _

"Oh Naruto-kun! That was amazing." came the voice of Koyuki as she ran up to Naruto and engulfed him in a welcomed and warm hug.

_"Oh yeah. That's why." _thought Naruto, settled into the embrace even as he continued to shiver. Eventually Itachi walked over to his partner before pulling his Akatsuki cloak out and handing it to him.

"I think I'm good for now Itachi. I think I'm good." said Naruto, continuing to embrace Koyuki.

_(One Day Later)_

"We can never thank you enough for what you've done. We are forever in your debt." came the voice of Koyuki's manager, Sandayu.

"It was really nothing. It's what you paid us to do." said Naruto before waving goodbye and turning around. Naruto then placed a straw hat on his head, identical to the one Itachi was wearing as the pair of shinobi began their departure from Yukigakure.

The two shinobi walked in silence for well over an hour before Naruto picked his head up, revealing his violet eyes, as he looked at Itachi.

"C'mon. Don't act you don't want to know what happened with me and the princess." said Naruto as he grinned when Itachi's chakra fluctuated ever so slightly. "I knew it. You can act all stoic on the outside, but chakra don't lie."

"I do want to know, it's in my nature as a male. But there's no need to tell me." said Itachi as Naruto deflated. "May want to rub that lipstick off the side of your neck before Mei sees it."

Naruto's grin returned as he turned his eyes back forward.

"We're not together Itachi. I can do as I please. She even wants me too. I think." said Naruto. "As long as I always come back and not with something she says."

"Is that why you still wiped the lipstick off?" questioned Itachi as Naruto's grin just widened. Before he could respond though, Naruto felt the presence of someone heading toward them. Turning his head to the right, Naruto addressed the arrival when they showed up a few seconds later.

"Hey Zetsu." said Naruto just before the plant man rose from the ground next to them.

"Hello Naruto-kun!" said the white half of Zetsu cheerfully at his favorite member of Akatsuki. "How's it going?"

"Going pretty good. Just saved a princess. No big deal really." said Naruto with a grin that Zetsu grinned back at, even though it was only half his face since Black Zetsu didn't smile. "Right. What's up? Got something for us?"

**"Yes. It's time to start our plans. We've come into quite a bit of money recently. Faster than expected." **said Black Zetsu. **"You both know your targets correct? The Nibi and Kyubi." **

Naruto just nodded his head. "Right. Who do we go for first?" questioned Naruto.

"We're not taking them yet. Just letting you get a feel for them before we actively start our plan." said White Zetsu. **"When we do start actively collecting the Bijuu. We will become a target fast and a threat to the world. We'll have to plan this out and be sure we can collect them all as fast as possible. You both have your orders." **

"Roger that. Do you know who's closer?" questioned Naruto as Zetsu pointed southeast.

"The Kyubi Jinchuriki is easier. The Nibi Jinchuriki is technically closer but you'd be spotted immediately in Kumogakure." said White Zetsu.

"I disagree but it doesn't really matter." said Naruto. "Where's the Kyubi Jinchuriki?"

**"Headed to Wave Country. Meet him there and find anything you can about him. I have my own data but experiencing it yourself is always a good thing to do as well." **said Black Zetsu before the two disappeared into the Earth.

"Wave Country. Should be fun." said Naruto before he and Itachi began their trek once again. "Back to our earlier conversation, Koyuki was wearing my shirt to bed."

A few seconds passed by as Naruto grinned when Itachi's chakra fluctuated again. Naruto didn't wear a shirt so that implied that Koyuki went topless.

"Just how I like it too." said Naruto. "Can't wait to tell you the rest."

Itachi just kept a calm and collected face as he and Naruto mused their way to Wave Country, Naruto talking all the way.

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_(5 Days Later - Kirigakure)_

"You miss him as much as I do huh?" questioned Ameyuri as she sat atop the desk in the Mizukage's office. Ameyuri was speaking to Mei, who was standing at the back of the room and looking out the glass window of her office.

"Of course I miss him. But he says he's protecting us with his absence." said Mei as she turned around to look at Ameyuri's sharp black eyes. "And I believe him."

Mei of course believed him because she knew of his involvement with Akatsuki. Even after 4 years of being in the dangerous organization, no one had any clue that Naruto was one of its members. Besides Mei of course, who knew of the deal Naruto had stricken with the leader about Kiri's safety for his assistance. But even still, she couldn't help but miss the Hozuki clan member.

"Of course you believe him, you're his girlfriend." said Ameyuri with nonchalance at the dropping of that news. Mei only huffed indignantly at that.

"He is not my boyfriend. We do not date." said Mei as Ameyuri just scoffed. "I don't date criminals. I was raised better."

"Really now? And your little sexual escapade with him has no say in that matter?" questioned Ameyuri as Mei had the decency to blush.

"I still can't believe I told you that." said Mei.

"Shouldn't have been drinking underage missy." said Ameyuri with a smirk on her face. "But you're saying that if I happen to stumble upon Naruto, he's fair game? Not saying I would ever stumble upon him since its been four years and he's managed to not show up anywhere. But if I did..."

Mei hesitated for a moment before simply nodding her head. "Of course. We are not exclusive and as far as I'm concerned, he is still single and fair game. Have at him." said Mei as Ameyuri's eyebrows raised.

"Oh you're a cocky one Mei-sama. You think that allowing him to be single and do whatever, he'll still come back to you? And in that instance, you know you're the greatest woman of all-time to be able to keep Pretty Boy after all that?" questioned Ameyuri. "What happens if he falls in love?"

Mei just smiled. "He already did. But you're welcome to do what you want to him. I know about your crush and that it's still strong as ever. Not to mention how you said you'd do it. Ride him from dusk to dawn I believe." said Mei as Ameyuri had a blush align her own cheeks. "You were underage drinking as well _missy_."

"Eh, if I see Pretty Boy again...then he's all mine." said Ameyuri before she stood up and picked up the scroll off Mei's desk. "I'm off to my mission in Wave Country. Some people have spotted sightings of Zabuza-senpai. I want to be there to tell him he can come back."

"Good. Zabuza-san is an invaluable asset and a ninja who believed in an united Kirigakure. We need him and will gladly take him back." said Mei as Ameyuri only nodded her head before vanishing in a lightning shunshin.

_(Wave Country - Same Time)_

"Finally. We made it." said Naruto as he and Itachi passed a sign welcoming them to Wave country.

"Can you locate the Jinchuriki yet?" questioned Itachi as Naruto merely gave him a look that said..

"C'Mon son. I'm Naruto." said the swordsman before he began leading Itachi through the port town that comprised Wave Country.

Wave Country is located on an isolated island near the Land of Fire and is in prime location for trade and commerce through all of the Land of Fire. It has many rivers that flow through it and is famous for its mangroves, that are full of all kinds of lifeforms. While prosperous, that prosperity was handled by one man, Gato. A business man who enacted a shipping monopoly on the people that drained the Land dry of its resources.

But that wasn't why Naruto and Itachi were there. They cared not for the people and were here for one purpose, the Kyubi Jinchuriki. That purpose being right in front of him.

"Wow. That's him?" questioned Naruto, settled quite a distance from a small home that he was watching several kids younger than him attempt to tree-walk. Naruto's eyes were peeled on the blonde-haired one with the Bijuu-like chakra. "Dude's a pipsqueak. And his chakra control is almost laughable."

"The abundance of his chakra is likely the cause for that factor. Even with his poor chakra control, he'll still be a tough target once he taps into his Bijuu's powers." said Itachi.

"I'll gobble that delicious Bijuu chakra no worries." said Samehada, licking her lips as Naruto just internally nodded his head to his sentient partner. Naruto then peered over to Itachi, whose eyes were on the dark haired boy in the group of three children. Naruto took notice of that fact but decided not to voice out why he was so intrigued with the other boy in the group.

"Let us continue to watch them for a few more days. Maybe something interesting will happen and we'll see a battle." said Itachi. "I'd like to see his progress."

Naruto only nodded at that as he was skeptical a bit at his partner's words.

_"He seems to be talking about Naruto. We have read Zetsu's stats about him but..." _thought Naruto, peering his own eyes at the dark haired boy. _"He seems to be talking about him. What's so special about him?"_

Naruto wasn't sure but he was likely to find out given enough time. So Naruto just continued to calmly sit with Itachi as the two continued to watch their target training.

_(Two Days Later)_

"Well that escalated quickly." said Naruto, standing in a tree line overlooking a halfway constructed bridge. Though most of the bridge was out of view due to a mist being cast over it by a man Naruto knew and respected. "Who knew that Zabuza-senpai was here?"

Zabuza Momochi, a member of Kirigakure's last generation of Seven Swordsmen and dangerous missing-nin. Zabuza was a feared swordsman and wielder of one of the Seven Swords of Kirigakure, Kubikiribocho, or the Decapitating Carving Knife. After his failed attempt on the life of Yagura, it was rumored the swordsman began a mercenary like lifestyle and from what Naruto could see, it was true.

"Doing the dirty work for a bad man. That's not like you Zabuza-senpai." said Naruto, casually watching the battle take place with his chakra sensing ability to feel their movements. "And Zabuza's accomplice...a kekkai genkai shinobi."

Naruto then jolted as another chakra source entered his sensory cloud. A chakra signature he knew all too well. Naruto looked at Itachi, who only nodded his head before vanishing in a flock of crows. The Akatsuki cloak around Naruto vanished into thin air, sealed into the seal on Naruto's wrist as he dug into his ninja pouch.

_"She must be here for Zabuza-senpai. May as well help her out, seems like he's losing." _thought Naruto before he pulled out his red Hunter-nin mask. _"I miss this thing. I should wear it more often." _

Naruto placed the Hunter-nin mask on before standing up and stretching a bit. Feeling loose enough, Naruto vanished in a mist shunshin.

_(Bridge)_

Appearing inside the blanketing mist created by Zabuza, Naruto landed outside a dome of ice mirrors.

_"So it is a Yuki Clan member." _thought Naruto before his chakra sensing ability went haywire at the presence of a new, potent chakra being exuded. _"Is that the Kyubi?"_

"Yes it is Naruto-kun. I need a taste of it, please get close enough." said Samehada cheerily attached to Naruto's back as the sword wiggled a bit in excitement.

_"You got it Same-chan. Just don't drain the kid." _thought Naruto in reply to the sentient sword.

"No promises." replied Samehada before a body went careening pass Naruto after smashing through one of the ice mirrors.

_"Damn. Guess pipsqueak packs a punch." _thought Naruto as said pipsqueak went flying pass him in attacking the first body who went pass Naruto, not even noticing him standing there. _"Same-chan!"_

Hearing a belch in his head, Naruto just laughed.

"It was only a little taste. I can't help that he came that close" thought Samehada explaining her quick feast on the Jinchuriki's chakra. "Now go save that ninja, they obviously mean something to Zabuza if they're with him."

_"Let's see what pipsqueak does first." _thought Naruto as he watched the Jinchuriki head in with a haymaker to Zabuza's accomplice's face. That was until he stopped when the hunter-nin mask the ninja was wearing fell off.

The hesitation by the Kyubi Jinchuriki intrigued Naruto a bit and clearly Zabuza's accomplice as they sat frozen for a few moments before the faux hunter nin spoke up.

"Why do you stop? Why not finish me off?" questioned the accomplice. "My life is useless to my master if I can't defeat you here. Just kill me Menma. Please."

The now named Jinchuriki's, Menma's, face scrunched up in shock before turning to anger as he decked the accomplice in the face. Though not nearly as hard and only enough to send them to their back.

"That doesn't even make sense Haku! Why would you want to die?!" questioned Menma as Naruto was beginning to grow a little uneasy about what he was watching.

_"None of this makes sense. One is willing to throw their life away at one defeat." _thought Naruto. _"While the other doesn't have the nuts to just kill the enemy who has been harming his friends and client." _

"Not all shinobi are as cut and dry Naruto-kun." said Samehada in Naruto's head. "Every shinobi has a different set of morals. Yours are one way and his and hers are another."

_"Yeah. I guess." _thought Naruto before feeling a powerful chakra build up in the other fight on the other side of the bridge. _"Seems like senpai is a dead man. Wouldn't be right if I let him die before she got here." _

Naruto then witnessed something spectacular as he saw Haku stand, push Menma away, and take off to Zabuza's aide.

_"Wow. Commitment. Too bad she's out of chakra. She won't help him other than to be a shield." _thought Naruto before feeling the hilt of Samehada tap him on the head. _"Alright fine. Fine."_

Naruto then built up his own chakra before his body dissolved into a few sparks of lightning, a faster shunshin than his mist one.

_(With Zabuza)_

Just like Naruto said, Zabuza was completely at the mercy of his adversary. Normally a tall and very intimidating shinobi with his powerful lean muscles, bandaged face from his nose below, and the dangerous zanbatou in his possession. Zabuza was completely helpless at the moment.

"Do you think I survived on just the power of my Sharingan? I'll show you an original technique. I promise it's not a copy." said Kakashi, the same man who helped Kirigakure during Naruto's Coup d'etat. Kakashi now was the man standing 10 feet from Zabuza, who had Kakashi's dog summonings restricting his movement as the Copy Ninja began to channel chakra and flash through three hand seals.

**"Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)" **came the voice of Kakashi before his hand sparked bright with a blue ball of lightning. The lightning surging around Kakashi's hand was daunting in appearance and absolutely terrifying to look at.

"It's over." said Kakashi but as he went to charge, he was halted by a new presence.

"Kakashi-san. Please do not attempt to kill Zabuza Momochi." came the voice of Naruto standing behind Kakashi. "Or I will be forced to take action to prevent that."

Kakashi's eyes merely panned to the side as he caught a glimpse of the red hunter nin mask of the man standing behind him.

Letting out a sigh, Kakashi let his Raikiri destabilize and disappear.

"Naruto Hozuki. What brings you here?" questioned Kakashi, very cautious about the teenager that stood behind him with a finger pointed directly at his temple.

"Just happened to be in the area. But rest assured, Zabuza will not be trying to kill that bridge builder any time soon." said Naruto as Kakashi nodded his head.

"Who the hell do you think you are brat?" questioned Zabuza, slightly angered at the fact that he had been outclassed and needed assistance. Let alone from a kid who he remembered as a 6 year old trainee. The same trainee who actually succeeded in his coup d'etat unlike him.

"The new Mizukage has requested your relocation back to Kirigakure. That is why." came the voice of another hunter-nin, this one with the standard white mask though. "You've been pardoned of all crimes and the new Kirigakure would love to have you back."

"Back to Kirigakure huh?" said Zabuza mostly to himself. "I guess I might as well. I mean what choice do I really have?"

"None. It's that or I kill you and retrieve the Kubikiribocho." said the Hunter-nin as Kakashi took that as enough of a signal that everything was safe. Having his dogs disappear, Zabuza slumped slightly, body wracked with injuries from the powerful jaws of the dogs that were on him.

Naruto's finger gun stopped pointing at Kakashi as he simply turned around at the approach of about 250+ chakra signatures.

"Haku, right? Take Zabuza-senpai and heal him. You both will return with Ame-chan when he's in traveling condition." said Naruto. "Kakashi, you will gather your Genin and leave as well. Finish construction in the coming days. The dark haired one isn't dead so don't worry about that. Please leave this place now."

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice. His job was done, his Genin were safe, and there was not much he could do anyway with his low supply of chakra. So he took off and tended to his young charges and client before they vanished from the bridge.

Haku did the same, taking the reluctant Zabuza from the bridge to heal him up and get ready to return to Kirigakure. Haku was smiling the whole way as she and her master left the bridge.

"And then there was two." said Naruto, pulling off his Hunter-nin mask at the same time as Ameyuri.

"Well you didn't tell me to leave so I figured you wanted me to stay." said Ameyuri, smiling at the face of Naruto. A face she hadn't seen in well over 3 years, nearing 4. Ameyuri could feel her heart beat faster only at the mere face and voice of her childhood crush/teammate.

"Well I just had to see that pretty face didn't I?" said Naruto before Ameyuri closed the distance between them and embraced him in a hug, a hug that he happily returned.

"I missed you Pretty Boy." said Ameyuri, hiding her now red hot blush from Naruto's earlier statement on her looks.

"I missed you too Ame-chan." said Naruto, holding for a bit longer before a slow clap was heard. A slow clap that appeared to end prematurely.

"Where's Zabuza? Or that pesky builder?" questioned a short man, who stood in front of a contingent of about 250 'goons.' This man was the infamous, Gato. The monopoly holder of all shipping and trade from the Land of Wave. "Hey you underage brats?! Where's my hired gun?! Or that damn bridge builder?!"

Ameyuri and Naruto never moved though, still hugging one another as they completely ignored the man. At least so he thought. Naruto had actually told Ameyuri all about Gato in the short span of time since the short businessman arrived.

"Is that really what he's done to the people of this country?" questioned Ameyuri, reveling in the fact she was still holding Naruto.

"Yes. I'm certain you want to take him out since you're into that righteous justice and what not." said Naruto as Ameyuri merely nodded her head into his chest. "Well, no time like the present I guess."

Still hugging Ameyuri, Naruto slowly went through hand seals on her back before ending in the dragon seal.

**"Raiton: Raikoryu (Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon)" **said Naruto as he and Ameyuri began to spark with white lightning, that slowly began to cover them from the feet up.

"Really? Just one shot huh?" questioned Ameyuri as the lightning reached her mid thigh and continued climbing. "No messing around I see."

"Well I want to spend some more time with my Ame-chan and those guys are wasting it. Can't have that can we?" said Naruto as the lightning began to creep up further, now at Ameyuri's waist. "So yes."

"Well what are your current plans looking like?" questioned Ameyuri.

"We'll have time, no worries. It'll be me and you for a while." said Naruto as the lighting inched ever closer to completely enveloping them. "We got some catching up to do and me, some making up to do since I haven't seen you in all these years. We can do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" questioned Ameyuri as a smile crept on her face just as the lightning seeped up pass said smile. _"I'll be sure to get what I want." _

The lightning fully enveloped the two before a large white dragon, made of lightning, roared before sparking across the bridge and into Gato's group. They never stood a chance as the lightning dragon ended whatever plans they had. Even taking out Gato in the process.

"Well that was easy." said Naruto standing the middle of a slew of dead bodies. Naruto then placed a hand on the ground before a seal spread out to cover the area of death around him.

"A seal Pretty Boy?" questioned Ameyuri, whose hand was grabbed by Naruto as he lead her away from the seal. The moment Ameyuri and Naruto stepped outside of its radius, the seal glowed before dying down. When the light died down, the bodies and blood had all disappeared and were replaced with the swirl mark of the Uzumaki Clan.

Naruto just smiled at his handy work before looking at Ameyuri.

"Wanna get some lunch?" questioned Naruto as Ameyuri cheerfully nodded. Dropping a hand around her shoulders, the two teammates headed into Wave Country with a smile on their faces, ready to spend some quality time together.

After they left, a small boy peeked from behind the boulder he was hiding behind as he saw everything that just occurred with Naruto.

"Wow. I have to tell grandpa. I have to tell everyone!" said the Boy before taking off toward his home. Wave Country was saved and he was going to be sure their hero knew how much this country appreciated it.

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Been a while. Blame Grad School and my general laziness.**

**Hope you all realize where the story line is at the current moment. The Land of Wave Arc.**

**Menma, the Kyubi Jinchuriki, is canon Naruto. Just not named Naruto obviously, his name is Menma in this story.**

**Is that all that really happened? Not much did, there'll be some action coming later but you know the Akatsuki didn't do much in this time period so yeah, not many fights I can do yet.**

**Oh! There is something else. The pairing is Mei and I don't do Harems. But someone asked if Naruto, since he isn't officially with Mei as of yet due to his 'criminal' status, could he do it with other girls.**

**I called that person a pervert but I figured I'd let you peeps decide. Should I stay strictly pairing or do I continue to allow Naruto to flirt with and potentially get busy with some of these femme fatales that are bound to show up in his Akatsuki travels?**

**I won't do a lemon with each of them, if any to be honest. I don't really like lemons, I just put one in to eh, amuse some of my readers' needs. But he will be at least cordial and allusions of it like with Koyuki earlier will happen if you all want. Let me know, I have a poll up and that'll settle it.**

**Yeah, yeah yeah. End of the chap notes long. I'll delete em later. Maybe**

**In the meantime, I'm 21! Woo! If you wanna send me something, shoot me a happy birthday PM. Or you can shoot me an itunes code. I love buying music. You don't have to do the latter, just some guy wanted to send me something because he loves me and my heart wouldn't let me decline. So to that guy, there you go! iTunes card is perfectly fine. $5. Don't be sending $100 man. Even $5 is already over board. I'd go ego crazy if the former happened...even if the latter happened. Hell, I'll go ego crazy if someone even sends me a Happy Bday pm. Frankly...**

**I need to stop before I keep rambling.**

**Leave a review or shoot me a pm.**

**-Hamp out.**


	17. Relations

**"Bada Ba Ba Ba! I'm lovin it." Chapter Seventeen. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own that catchy jingle in quotations at the top. Makes me wonder on what I do own though? Controlled Arrogance, A Six-Pack, Native American Blood, and a bank account with 5 figures in it. Though it's pay my rent, car, and school day. So I'll likely have 3 figures in my account when it's all said and done. But I have a new job now and it's great. An Accounting Manager for a Coca-Cola business division in my city for you curious types. Hours are going to be hell in the beginning with school still but hey, I love money and having a nice white-collared job when I graduate. I even have this fine co-worker who's been giving me the eye lately that'll I'll be going on a date with later today. Should be interesting.

Is it me or do I keep getting more and more progressively longer with these disclaimers? I guess the time between chapters means I have to update the peeps who somewhat care about my personal life even though they have no clue who I am. To those guys/gals, I love ya. I'm still talking aren't I? Damn, I need an intervention.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Relations**

"You can't be serious?" came the question from Naruto as he stood in the middle of a clearing. Naruto was still in the Land of Waves and currently enjoying some time with his teammate and good friend, Ameyuri. Moving his head to the side, a sword came inches away from severing him in between the eyes as said redhead Ameyuri stood in front of him just nodding her head.

"She all but told me to. 'You're welcome to do with him what you want'." said Ameyuri, moving her sword to the right in aim to cut into Naruto. Naruto's chokuto appeared from the seal on his wrist as it stopped the deadly blade from harming him.

"My Mei-chan really said that?" questioned Naruto again rhetorically as he looked to be in thought as Ameyuri tried to push her sword into the side of his head futilely. "This has to be some sort of reverse psychology or something."

"How the hell are you so strong.." groaned Ameyuri making no head way on pushing Naruto's Chokuto backwards, even when she added the second blade. Naruto merely picked his head up at that question as he indeed noticed Ameyuri attempting to cleave him in half.

"Because this isn't real." said Naruto, vanishing from sight as Ameyuri realized she had her swords lodged blade deep into a tree. Ameyuri deflated at that as she turned to see Naruto sitting lotus style in a tree behind her.

"Of course you activated that stupid Mirage." said Ameyuri as she let out a sigh and plopped down in a lotus position too. "Should of known you'd do that."

"I think you did pretty lady." said Naruto standing behind Ameyuri. "You're just a clone."

Naruto was proven right when the Ameyuri in front of him dispelled into a spark of lightning and vanished from sight. Naruto turned on a dime as he quickly located the real Ameyuri and blocked her slash with a slash of his own. Sparks fluttered between the blades as the two shared a sequence of Kenjutsu.

"You really have to teach me that style.." said Ameyuri, feeling the flat of Naruto's blade tap her skin to signify a moment he could of cut into her. "I'm a master swordswoman and I can't even touch you."

Ameyuri then needed to start backing up as Naruto kipped up his offensive with more swings from his reverse grip style. The sword grip being something most sword master had no clue how to defend against and let alone attack. It was mind boggling to Ameyuri to know Naruto could have hit her so many times in only a few exchanges.

Tired of being on the defensive, Ameyuri brought her blades into an X ready to cross slash Naruto into four pieces. That plan didn't work however as Naruto caught the middle of the X before they could separate and sent the blades over Ameyuri's head into the tree behind her, effectively pinning her to the tree less she drop her swords.

"Checkmate." said Naruto as his hand sparked with a layer of white lightning. Ameyuri closed her eyes out of reflex when Naruto's hand approached her face. Rather than a paralyzing shock, Ameyuri felt nothing as a few seconds passed by. Peeking one eye open followed by the other, Ameyuri saw Naruto's face but inches from hers.

Ameyuri felt the blood rushing to her face and her body heat up as she stared into the violet eyes of her crush who was only staring back into hers. Ameyuri's heart beat picked up as Naruto leaned in to the close the distance before anger took over her when he turned out to be a water clone, dispelling in her face and drenching her to the bone in water. Clothes and hair now sticking to her body, Ameyuri brought her Kiba blades down as they sparked bright with lightning.

"It's so on now Pretty Boy." said Ameyuri, taking off in the direction she could hear Naruto purposely laughing to draw her toward him.

_(45 minutes later)_

"You mean to tell me that you meet Yukie Fujikaze.." started Ameyuri, now seated in front of a tree as she spoke to Naruto, whose lap she was sitting in. "Koyuki I mean. You have her naked, drunk, and totally wanting you and you do nothing?"

"I wouldn't lie to you Ame-chan. Nothing happened, earnestly." said Naruto with his hands wrapped around Ameyuri's waist while hers laid on top of his. "She did kiss my neck but she passed out right after. I don't know what it was really but I just..couldn't. Maybe it was the because she was drunk thing."

"Or because you weren't in love with her.." said Ameyuri lowly though Naruto made it out clearly due to his silent killing training.

"Hey." said Naruto, getting Ameyuri to turn in his lap to face him. "Mei-chan has my heart. There is no question about that. She put a spell on me or something I guess. But right now, you have my mind and body. And most importantly, my attention. It's just us Ame-chan."

Ameyuri merely smiled at Naruto's words before leaning in and leaving a peck on his cheek before moving her head back and staring at him.

"Well I want your heart too before I do what I really wanted and said I'd do." said Ameyuri as Naruto merely nodded his head.

"I can respect that." said Naruto as he felt Ameyuri fidget a bit in his lap causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"You make it tough not to." said Ameyuri as Naruto just smiled. Ameyuri then put a hand to Naruto's chest causing Naruto to wonder if she really couldn't resist. "Now..tell me why you hadn't come seen me in person these past 4 years."

Naruto's body liquefied subconsciously when Ameyuri pressed her hand hard into his chest leaving her hand submerged in Naruto's body essientially. Ameyuri channeled lightning chakra through her hand as Naruto immediately felt the effects of his most prevalent weakness, lightning.

"So not cool." said Naruto, jolting every few seconds as the lightning coursed through his 'liquid' body. Ameyuri just sat smiling at Naruto as she listened to Naruto's recanting of his time away from her.

* * *

_(2 weeks later - Kirigakure)_

"None of that really makes sense. To be honest Godaime-sama." said Mangetsu, leaned up against the wall of Mei's office speaking to Mei herself. "You don't date him because he's a 'criminal', but you want nothing but to be with him. You tell him he's free to do whatever but you're subconsciously frightened that he'll fall for someone else."

Mei just let out a sigh before turning her green eyes to look at the white-haired swordsman in front of her. Crossing her arms under her bosom, Mei just shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm just scared I guess." said Mei. "I honestly don't care about the him doing it with other girls. Just as long as he doesn't catch something or have a kid, he's fine. But I am scared about losing him. What if being in a relationship ruins us? And the fact that he's not even here? How does a long distance relationship even work? How does a normal relationship even work?"

Mangetsu simply nodded his head in understanding. Every time Naruto was with them, he was always disappearing. All the great moments of his Genin team, seemed to be Naruto-less due to Yagura taking him away all the time. Or how he had to disappear when Raiga and Fuguki's deaths were pinned on him. Almost 5 months of nothing. Then now with him doing who knows what for the past 4 years. Naruto seemed to be an enigma honestly and how could you date someone you didn't know would be there.

"You're right. You don't know if it'll work. But you won't know until you actually try either.." said Mangetsu as he stood up from the wall. "Other girls might not be as nice as Ameyuri was and Naruto may not turn down every girl he meets like that Koyuki girl. I'm not saying force him into a relationship but let him at least know how you feel so he isn't feeling guilty for doing this and that out there when you're here hoping for such and such. Yeah, he's free but.. trust me, he'd appreciate knowing how long his leash is."

"You make it seem like I have him 100% or something." said Mei as she noticed Mangetsu's finger twitch. "What did he tell you in his letters? I know he sends you the occasional one. Do I really have him on a leash?"

"It'd be wrong of me to divulge that information." said Mangetsu to the now giddy Kage as he headed to the door of Mei's office. "But you should definitely talk to him the next time you see him."

Mei just nodded her head as Mangetsu left her alone in her office. Mei then turned her head back to the window of her office as her thoughts were on Naruto.

_"Come back soon Naruto-kun." _thought Mei before she remembered what Mangetsu said. _"I hope he didn't jinx that thing about the next girl not being as nice as Ameyuri...no. He couldn't have. Well I can solve that anyway..How to send a message I wonder." _

_(With Naruto and Itachi)_

Seated at a local Dango restaurant, the two Akatsuki members were both sipping some hot tea as they relaxed for a bit. Though it seemed their relaxation wasn't going to be long apparently.

"Wow. Konoha is good. Or at least he is.." said Naruto as the two were indeed in Konoha.

3 days ago, Konoha hosted the Chunin Exams and before the exams could end, a surprise invasion occurred. Sunagakure and the Orochimaru lead Otogakure staged a failed invasion against the powerful hidden village. The invasion didn't even last a day but Konoha suffered a major loss, one coming in the form of their longest tenured Kage in Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Naruto didn't ask why but apparently Itachi really wanted to come to Konoha for something and so the two were there. Sitting at a local dango shop with a shinobi that Naruto and Itachi knew all too well posted outside of the small restaurant.

"Kakashi-san has always been very good." said Itachi quietly as two more Jonin walked up to the masked shinobi. "Let us go."

Naruto only followed the stoic Uchiha as they both vanished in a shunshin. The two appeared next to a river that flowed through Konoha as the two began to walk in step with one another. Naruto had no clue where they were going but realized Itachi just wanted to get space as the two Jonin talking to Kakashi appeared in front of them.

"You're not from this village are you?" questioned the male of the pair of Konoha shinobi. "What is your purpose here?"

"It's been a while, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san." said Itachi, face still hidden underneath the hat he was wearing.

"If you know us, you must be a former ninja of this village." said the man as Naruto scoffed internally.

_"You don't have to be of this village to know you're Asuma Sarutobi and she's Kurenai Yuhi. You're both in the bingo book and I actually met Kurenai before..." _thought Naruto, having read over the two's info during his hunter-nin days. Asuma particularly being well respected as a member of the twelve guardian shinobi. Naruto then noticed Itachi lifting his hat as to reveal his face to the two in front of them, causing their eyes to widen at recognizing who it was.

"You're..." started Asuma as Itachi moved his left arm through his Akatsuki cloak, unbuttoning the top two buttons and resting his arm on the inside of his cloak. Asuma merely smirked. "There's no doubt about it. You're Itachi Uchiha."

"Hmmm. Since everyone just knows everyone. I may as well introduce myself." said Naruto before lifting his own hat to reveal his violet eyes and casual demeanor. "Naruto Hozuki. A pleasure."

"Trust me. It won't be a pleasure at all." said Asuma. "I'm taking you both out right here and right now."

"Seems this village holds some animosity towards you Itachi." said Naruto before the woman, Kurenai, got his attention.

"I know you. You were at the Iwa Chunin exams back when Itachi took it..." said Kurenai. "Naruto Hozuki, the kid who brought down lightning and killed his own Kage in a coup d'etat."

"You're both wanted as S-rank ninjas. One being a major criminal and the other having some sort of thing going on with Iwagakure since they placed such a high bounty on you." said Asuma. "But if you're partners with Itachi, we'll have to assume you're a criminal as well. And you Itachi, coming here of all places after what you did.."

"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san... Please don't get involved with my work." said Itachi with no hint of emotions anywhere, his normal tone of speech. "I have no intention of killing you.."

"That's not something that a guy who killed his own clan members can say." said Asuma. "I know you wouldn't come here without a reason so what is your purpose?"

A swift movement from Naruto got Asuma's attention as the shark skin blade poking out of the back of his cloak came down in between them, cracking the ground.

"You're really irritating asking questions you don't need to know the answer to and shan't get the answer to..." said Naruto, still in a calm tone despite the words he spoke which appeared to show his agitation at the current stand off.

"It seems we can't leave the village without a fight..." said Itachi. "Don't overdo it Naruto. Your moves stand out too much."

"I got some quiet ones.." said Naruto before placing Samehada on his shoulder, just as Itachi let his straw hat go. The moment the straw hat hit the ground, Naruto moved forward with a quick slash of Samehada that Asuma dodged just barely. Naruto brought the blade back up before taking another swing that Asuma brought chakra blades out to block.

_"Damn. What the hell have they been feeding this kid.." _thought Asuma getting overpowered by the Hozuki clan member. Asuma struggled against Naruto but it seemed useless as the sharkskin sword touched his shoulder.

"Same-chan doesn't cut...she shaves." said Naruto, sliding the sentient blade back as he shredded through Asuma's shirt, reaching his flesh and causing a gash to appear. Naruto then jolted slightly when he felt his chakra fluctuate and realized Kurenai placed him under a Genjutsu. _"She's pretty good but..."_

Itachi was in the same boat as Naruto, having a tree wrapped around him to restrict his movements. Kurenai materialized out of the tree above Itachi as she held a kunai ready to cut into the powerful ninja. Kurenai then blinked before she realized she was the one trapped in the tree and saw Itachi standing in front of her with a kunai in hand.

_"Genjutsu Reversal...should of known." _thought Kurenai before closing her eyes and biting her lip hard enough to bleed. The pain from doing so freed her from the Genjutsu as she opened her eyes to see Itachi running at her. Kurenai ducked a slash of Itachi's kunai, losing some ends of her hair being cut from the slash before picking up a block to the kick that Itachi sent right at her. The kick sent Kurenai flying out into the river next to them as she landed roughly on the surface.

"Kurenai.." said Asuma before turning his head to see Naruto right next to him. "Shit..kid's fast."

_(With Kurenai and Itachi)_

Kurenai was in the process of getting up before she jolted her head up when she heard Itachi behind her.

"That was pretty nice Kurenai-san...but.." said Itachi as Kurenai's eyes widened and she turned to see him standing behind her with his Sharingan bearing into her own red eyes.

"But. This is as far as you'll go." came the voice of Kakashi, standing behind Itachi with a kunai to his back. Itachi merely turned his head to the Copy Ninja as his Sharingan bored into Kakashi's single one.

"Kakashi..Hatake." said Itachi with what appeared to be a tinge of respect to the copy ninja in front of him.

_(With Naruto and Asuma)_

Samehada came inches away from cutting into Asuma again but a kunai appeared between the blade and Konoha ninja as a masked shinobi blocked Naruto's sword slash. Naruto merely smirked at the ninja holding him back from slicing into Asuma.

"Kakashi Hatake. You're faster than I thought." said Naruto, knowing Kakashi was there but didn't think he'd be able to stop him from harming Asuma in time. "But you of all people should know when you're outclassed."

Naruto then shifted his head to the side, avoiding the chakra blade coming at him from Asuma by a slim margin. Only to receive a cut across his face as Asuma added wind chakra to the blades to extend their range. Water leaked from Naruto's face as cold, violet eyes stared at Asuma, who was smirking.

"You cut my face? What if that had of left a scar?" questioned Naruto, always angry when someone attempted to harm his good looks. Naruto flipped Samehada back to his back as the Kakashi in front of him turned out to be a clone that dispelled when Naruto's chokuto appeared in his hand, stabbing the clone through the stomach.

Asuma then blocked a swift slash from Naruto before the angered swordsman started slashing away at the Sarutobi Clan member.

_"Guess I shouldn't have done that.." _thought Asuma, receiving cuts on his shirt and on his skin from each exchange with Naruto. _"The kid's Kenjutsu is insane. I'm giving it all I got and he's still besting me." _

Asuma blocked several more strikes from Naruto before his eyes widened when a foot found it's way to the left side of his chin. A sharp kick sent Asuma careening into the river beside them just as a large detonation occurred that was caused by Itachi. Naruto saw Asuma disappear into the uplifted water as he waited for it to die down before looking at the situation before him.

_"Asuma and Kurenai aren't a problem. Neither is Kakashi but he's still someone to be wary about due to his lightning affinity." _thought Naruto as he felt Itachi's chakra shift. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what his partner was going to do. _"Thought you didn't want to kill them." _

Naruto jumped atop the water, merging with it just as he heard Itachi speak a name to a jutsu.

**"Tsukiyomi (Moon Reader)" **said Itachi just as Naruto disappeared completely into the water. Upon reforming next to Itachi, Naruto saw Kakashi groan in agony before falling to a knee in what looked like pain.

_"Damn. Only the second time I've seen that and it never gets any better to look at." _thought Naruto as he noticed Kakashi still conscious.

"That's impressive for you to be able to withstand that jutsu and not die Kakashi-san." said Itachi, a subtle twitching of his eyes occurring that only Naruto noticed.

"You know it's bad for you to use those eyes of yours." said Naruto holding his chokuto at the three Jonin of the leaf. "I'll handle it from here."

Naruto appeared in front of Kakashi with his chokuto. Naruto was ready to put Kakashi down fully before he felt a chakra speeding toward him. Ducking a sharp kick that flew over him, Naruto put up another block as a second kick flew toward him.

**"Konoha Senpuu (Leaf Whirlwind)" **came the voice of a new arrival wearing a Konoha flak jacket, green spandex suit with orange leg warmers, and a literal bowl cut. Naruto felt the kick hit his block as his eyes widened at the force behind the leg.

_"Damn. He hits hard." _thought Naruto as his arms liquefied at the powerful kick. The rest of Naruto began to liquefy as well as the man knelt down to pick up Kakashi.

"Guy-san." said Itachi as Naruto reformed once again next to his partner. Naruto's violet eyes looked at Guy as the man only stared back at him. Just as Naruto looked ready to duel out with the new arrival, Itachi stopped him. "We're going Naruto. We didn't come here to start a war. What we're here for seems to not be here. Let us go."

Naruto merely let his chokuto poof back into his seal before holding up a half ram seal. A light mist covered the area for a second before disappearing. Naruto and Itachi were both gone as well as Kakashi let out a sentence that shocked the other Jonin before fully passing out.

"They're after Menma..for the Kyubi."

* * *

_(1 day later)_

"Jiraiya-san is guarding him now. It'll be hard to get the Kyubi Jinchuriki now with the Sannin close by." came the voice of Itachi as he stood in front of a spectral image of the leader of Akatsuki, Pain. Naruto stood close by to Itachi as their leader merely stood with stoic purple eyes.

"I see. The Toad Sage will indeed be a hindrance in gathering the Kyubi for sometime I'm sure." said Pain before just nodding his head. "It wouldn't have been wise to capture the Jinchuriki now anyway. We've already sealed the Nanabi and it nearly brought down the statue. It may be wiser to collect the Bijuu from one up to nine from this point on."

Naruto and Itachi merely nodded their heads before Pain's image began to disappear.

"We will also need more time to prepare for our plan. We will start again in three years time." said Pain as his image was all but gone. "We shall bring peace to the world."

Pain's image fully disappeared as Itachi turned his head to look at Naruto, whose eyes were boring into his.

"Why didn't you tell me we were going after the Kyubi Jinchuriki? I could have easily located him." said Naruto as Itachi merely looked at Naruto with his Sharingan. "You never wanted to capture him?"

Itachi heard Naruto's question and simply chose not to answer as he began to head out of the cave they were currently in. Naruto followed behind the stoic Uchiha as everything was starting to come to him as he recalled all the events.

"Pain tells you we are to go after the Kyubi Jinchuriki while I was with Ame-chan. You could have told me and I'd have located him without the need of us ever stepping in Konoha since the Jinchuriki wasn't there when we arrived." said Naruto. "You were there for another purpose. Were you sending someone a message?"

Itachi merely continuing walking as Naruto followed behind him.

"Was it about your brother, Sasuke." said Naruto as he felt Itachi's chakra fluctuate heavily at that name. Naruto only nodded his head as he decided to drop it having figured out what it was. "I understand."

The two only walked off in silence as they headed nowhere in particular.

"Thank you.." said Itachi, internally happy that Naruto dropped the subject. Naruto only nodded his head before noticing which way they were headed. "You have your own message to deliver I believe."

"That I do. That I do." said Naruto thinking about Mei and the fact that they were headed to Kirigakure.

_(4 days later - Kirigakure)_

Donning the blue and white robes of Kirigakure's Kage was Mei as she walked through the village smiling and waving at the civilians who spotted her and greeted her.

"Godaime-sama! Godaime-sama!" shouted a little girl as she ran up to the beautiful Kage. Mei's green eyes merely traveled down to the little girl's as she felt her tug her arm. "Please help me. My brother. He's in trouble."

Mei's eyes turned to ones of concern as the little girl just tugged her away from the main street that she was walking on and through an alley way. Mei followed the little girl, too worried about the girl's brother to notice that a mist covered the area and that the people on the street were still talking to her as if she was there. The little girl turned a corner as Mei turned it with her to notice she was gone.

_"Genjutsu..Who could.." _thought Mei before a smile came to her face when she saw Naruto materialize in front of her holding a white rose.

"Hey beautiful." said Naruto causing Mei's heart to flutter a bit at seeing him.

"Where's the real you?" questioned Mei, walking through the mirage Naruto in front of her as she looked for any clue of the real one.

"I wouldn't make it that easy for you Mei-chan. You'll have to find me." said Naruto, before disappearing from the area along with the mist. Mei looked around a bit before turning around and deeply kissing the side of the wall next to her. Mei heard the wall go 'mmm' as she moved her head and smiled.

"Found you." said Mei as the world around her disappeared to show she was standing in her home with Naruto in front of her, right where she kissed the 'wall'. "You're getting better at that mirage. I almost didn't notice that you lead me home."

"It works better when its the first time someone has seen it." said Naruto, pulling out a white rose as he handed it to Mei. "For you."

"We need to talk." said Mei as Naruto merely rose an eyebrow while withdrawing the rose and standing up straighter.

"About?" questioned Naruto as he noticed Mei's chakra fluctuating a bit, indicating she was nervous. "Take your time. I'll be here for a while."

Mei watched Naruto take a seat on her kitchen's counter as he merely looked at her with his violet eyes. Mei stood, fidgeting with her hands a bit before stopping and letting out a breath to steel herself. Mei then walked over before sitting on the counter next to him and placing her head on his shoulder.

"That's what we need to talk about. You being here." said Mei as Naruto merely listened to the girl next to him. "You know how I feel about you. I may have never said it truly but I know you know. And I know how you feel. But its just, you're not around. I want you to st-"

"Mei-chan...you know I can't do that." said Naruto, cutting Mei off as he didn't want her to finish her sentence. "As long as I am in that organization, I'll be protecting Kirigakure from them. I've seen what they can do and I know what they will do if I just decide to leave."

"I'll protect you from them. Kiri will protect you from them. Just come home." said Mei, reaching down to grab Naruto's hand and hold it in hers. "I know it's selfish of me to say this to you but I just have to because..I want you. All to myself."

Mei felt Naruto give her hand a squeeze as he rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand.

"Finally ready to date a criminal." said Naruto with a smile when Mei just shook her head against his shoulder.

"I'm ready to date you.." said Mei as she picked her head up with Naruto turning toward her. The two shared a kiss as green eyes then looked into violet ones. "But there's something you have to do first."

"I can't promise you I'll stay here Mei-chan. I'm going to stay in Akatsuki and be selfish in my own way. Me coming back here and allowing Kirigakure to protect me would cause unnecessary violence which will lead to death. I don't want that on my conscious more than what I already have there." said Naruto as he saw Mei shake his head. Mei kissed Naruto once again as she sent the Hozuki clan member to his back on the counter, with her straddling his waist. "This can't be what you're talking about. We've alread...no way."

"So you finally took notice of my chakra signature." came a new voice standing at Mei's kitchen doorway. Naruto recognized her immediately, especially with that violet hair and her chocolate brown eyes.

"Anko..." said Naruto lowly as she gave him a shit-eating grin.

"You promised me something there Pretty Boy." said Anko, walking toward the Akatsuki member who was pinned down by Mei at the current moment. "Lucky for me. Mei is making you keep your word. Though I'm sure you would have the next time you saw me."

Naruto's mind kicked into gear as he did indeed remember what he said to Anko back during the chunin exams. Naruto then noticed that Mei didn't appear to be in a hurry to leave as he felt goosebumps begin to appear on his skin in excitement.

"Now I don't want to get ahead of myself-" started Naruto before feeling Mei lean down and assault his neck with her mouth.

"Yes. This is really happening Naruto-kun. I've always thought about doing this anyway ever since I opened one of those Icha Icha books." spoke Mei in between kissing Naruto's neck and chest. "But only this once and afterward..you're all mine."

"Roger that. What about how Anko feels?" questioned Naruto as Mei stopped and looked over at the violet haired girl.

"I'm cool. He's all yours. This is just an opportunity one couldn't pass up on." said Anko, thanking Mei for the invite before jumping on top of the bar standing above Naruto. "Now let's get this show on the road."

_"Note to self...scratch threesome off bucket list." _thought Naruto as he allowed the two kunoichi to have their way with him.

* * *

_(3 years later - Naruto Age 20)_

"Are you sure about this Naruto-kun?" questioned Samehada, strapped to Naruto's back by chakra as Naruto himself sat atop a lake shirtless with his Akatsuki cloak off to the side. "You know what they can do. And what they will do if you go through with this."

_"Of course I'm sure Same-chan. We know what this organization is all about." _thought Naruto in reply to his sword as he sat with his eyes closed in a lotus position. _"They killed a young girl from Takigakure and stripped her of her Bijuu. I can't be in an organization like this. That's not peace. Especially considering they plan to do it 8 more times." _

"Why did you join in the first place? Why not just go out guns blazing from the start?" questioned Samehada curiously wanting to know the answer.

_"The situation I was presented. I was young then and didn't take the time to think it through like I should have. Nor did I know what the organization had planned to do." _thought Naruto. _"Seeing Mangetsu and Suigetsu in harm's way clouded my judgment. I thought I was helping Kiri by being away from it. Not to mention what Jiraiya told me back when we met in Uzu." _

"To be a spy in the organization and let him know of their movements.." said Samehada. "You've been doing that but I guess you've grown tired of it? What do you plan to do?"

Blue shading began to appear around Naruto's eyes along with 3 blue lines on either side of his stomach that looked like gills. Opening his eyes, his once violet eyes turned a shimmering gold and his canines grew a bit sharper to look more like shark teeth.

"What I should of done in the first place..." said Naruto standing up as white lightning began to spark across his body. "We're going to kill everyone of them for threatening my village and my loved ones. And then we're going home so I can be with my girlfriend like I should have done the first time."

Samehada wiggled excitedly against Naruto's back as she felt the conviction in Naruto's voice and felt it in his chakra.

"I'll help you in every way I can Naruto-kun." thought Samehada to herself as she couldn't wait for the future. Naruto was going to take down Akatsuki and from what the sword had seen of his growth, he damn well could.

* * *

**That's a wrap!**

**Sorry about the length between chaps and the length of this chap. Writer's block, new job, laziness got in the way.**

**Recap in case you missed: Current timeline is the start of Shippuden, things will get AU here shortly. **

**That's about all to the recap. Everything else was basically Canon. Oh wait! That threesome between Anko, Mei, and Naruto. I was wondering if I should of put the lemon in there but you all have great imaginations and I'm sure you came up with something in your minds.**

**So I read through a bunch of reviews and pms from people and the general consensus was to keep Naruto Mei-orientated. With flirting with the other chicas. Well Hamp listened since he didn't post that damn poll about it like I said I would (my bad about that). So Naruto and Mei are together, for better or worse at this point. And Naruto is fully committed to that auburn-haired bombshell. Don't even think I'll have flirting. I like to keep a pairing just that, a pairing.**

**Just for your eyes to have a visual, when I said and when I say in the future that Narurto has 'white lightning spark across his body', think of DBZ Super Saiyan status. That's basically what it looks like from now one when he enters his Sage Mode.**

**The story is to ramp up here in a bit. I'm sure some of you saw the subtle foreshadowing at the end there. It's tough to spot it, but if you look underneath the underneath. I'm certain you'll see it. Enough of this though, Hamp is finished rambling.**

**Until next time.**

**-Hamp Out**


	18. Beginning

**And we're back. Chap Eighteen. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. At some point I debate I'll never have to say that line again. Be it me actually owning Naruto if it is given to me, my buying some Naruto stock if it ever goes public, or me just losing interest in writing fanfic.

*Shoutout to my 7 fanfic groupies that screamed in terror just now at that last point.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Beginning**

A standoff. In a purely definitive context is a stalemate or deadlock between two equally matched opponents in a dispute or conflict. In other words, when two opposing forces are going blow for blow with no clearly discernible winner.

Now it is eerie to find yourself in such a tussle because being humans we are all unique and thus it should be extremely hard to find someone who could match you stride for stride. But that certain situation happened to be right now betwixt two equally strong shinobi.

"Itachi." said Naruto, standing before the stoic Uchiha in the middle of a clearing inside the Land of the Moon.

The clearing the two stood in was damaged heavily from what appeared to be a scuffle between the Akatsuki members. Trees were thrown astray, fire laid burning in random areas, water covered the ground, and ninja tools were abundant and numerous in all kinds of places.

Itachi heard his name and the look from his Sharingan hadn't changed since the start of their fight. A fight brought on by Naruto.

"To turn against Akatsuki at this juncture Naruto.." said Itachi, voice monotone as usual. "Why? Were you not protecting Kirigakure with your service?"

Naruto's violet eyes bored into Itachi's red ones as the mist barely allowed the Uchiha to see the swordsman let out a sigh.

"Can you honestly be in an organization that kills innocent people, people with no control over their life when made Jinchurikis, all for the sake of protecting your little brother." said Naruto, feeling Itachi's chakra spike and seeing his eyes shift to the Mangekyo at the mention of Sasuke. Naruto's own eyes turned gold as he shifted into Sage Mode. "Itachi. You won't win this battle. Only reason I haven't killed you yet is due to your own reasons of being in Akatsuki. But our earlier fight means nothing to our full powers. You won't be able to contend for long with that illness."

Itachi's Mangekyo could see the power radiating from Naruto, along with the random sparks of lightning fluttering around him.

_"So this is Naruto's full power. The power that killed the Yondaime Mizukage." _thought Itachi, realizing Naruto was right. If they were already equal, then Itachi couldn't win. He probably couldn't win even if he wasn't plagued by an illness that he knew Naruto could feel was attacking his chakra network. Itachi merely closed his eyes before opening them and turning them behind himself to the right.

"If I'm to help you, I have a condition." said Itachi, eyes turning to the real Naruto would stood behind him. How long he was there for, Itachi didn't know but he didn't allude the silent swordsman to that fact. Naruto let his chokuto poof back into the seal before he let the mist in the area dissipate.

"Name it."

_(Outskirts of Sunagakure)_

Located in a cave just outside of the sandy Hidden Village, 10 figures stood on the fingers of a humanoid statue. 8 of the figures were holograms while the other two were actually in the area. All ten of them belonged to Akatsuki as they were witnessing the extraction of the Ichibi from its Jinchuriki.

"Fuck. Is this almost over. We've been here for nearly 3 days." came the voice of the holographic image of Hidan, getting impatient with the long procedure. The leader of the group, Pain, merely shifted his purple ringed eyes to the immortal shinobi.

"We're nearing completion." said Pain, before seeing Naruto barely twitch out of the corner of his eye. Peering his eyes to Naruto, Pain merely gave him a look of 'what is it'. Naruto waited a few moments before turning to see Zetsu finally realize what it was.

"We have company." said Naruto, concentrating on the specific signatures. "Konoha shinobis. Kakashi is among them with the Kyubi Jinchuriki. Along with another group led by Might Guy. They will make it here before we are finished."

"Then it seems we must stall them. You and Itachi will go due to your experience in dealing with them in the past." said Pain. "I just need a bit of chakra from you both."

Naruto and Itachi both only nodded as they facilitated the chakra necessary for what their leader had planned.

_(With Kakashi)_

Only a few miles away from where Gaara was being held, Kakashi, Menma, Sakura, and Suna Elder Chiyo were moving fast to get to the troubled Kage. Kakashi was leading the pack and turning his head left and right, got a glimpse of his two students. Namely the one with blonde hair.

_"How are you taking all of this Menma.." _thought Kakashi seeing the determined look on the Kyubi Jinchuriki's face. _"I hope you know to follow my orders and not react too fast without thinking." _

Menma managed to look Kakashi's way and seemingly understood his sensei's thoughts. Only nodding his head, Kakashi felt a bit more reassured as the four kipped up the pace just a bit faster.

That pace halting almost immediately as they all landed in front of a man wearing an Akatsuki cloak. A man that Kakashi knew all too well.

"Uchiha...Itachi." said the Copy ninja as the stoic Uchiha's Sharingan met Kakashi's lone one.

_(With Guy)_

A different landscape than the forest Kakashi's team was running through, Team Guy with the addition of Pakkun, Kakashi's dog summon, were heading over a barren terrain. The five were sprinting at a blistering pace set by Guy before Neji, a Byakugan shinobi, halted the group.

The Byakugan is a kekkai genkai that gives the user a near 360 degree field of vision. The range of this vision varies between users but Neji could see at least 800 meters away. And 800 meters away and approaching fast was a powerful chakra signature.

"Guy-sensei...there's an enormous chakra heading toward us. And he's..." started Neji before the visage of Naruto with his slightly opened Akatsuki cloak appeared directly in front of them. "Akatsuki."

"Hello." said Naruto, standing before Team Guy with his violet eyes looking at each of them. Though Naruto's eyes did linger on the female of the group in Tenten, a brown haired kunoichi with a large scroll on her back. "Hello to you especially."

"Akatsuki!" shouted what looked like a clone of Guy, drawing Naruto's attention away from the mildly blushing Tenten. "You're the ones who took away Gaara-kun. I can't forgive you."

"Lee wait." said Neji, trying to stop the amped up Chunin but was too late. Lee rocketed toward Naruto as a grin appeared on the shark summoner's face. Dodging a wayward kick aimed to tear his head off, Naruto dodged several more blows before catching an elbow in his hand that was inches from breaking his ribs.

"Pretty fast. But it seems something is wrong with your chakra network." said Naruto, feeling Lee's hectic chakra network before spinning and launching the mini Guy clone right back at his sensei.

"I know you.." said Guy lowly, drawing Naruto's attention while catching and setting down Rock Lee. "Have we met somewhere before?"

"Something like that. But I'm not here to fight or kill you. Those aren't my intentions." said Naruto, hands moving into the ram seal despite his words. "But I'm afraid you're a bit too early and I must stall you for now to keep appearances. **Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)**"

Slowly but surely, a mist began to blanket the entire area. Not being able to see your teammate who was only 4 feet away from you would normally freak people out but Team Guy was calm, cool, and collected.

"Neji?" questioned Tenten to her teammate. Byakugan still on, Neji could still see Naruto but had to remark upon the technique's potency.

"The chakra in the mist is incredible. Without my eyes it'd be impossible to find him." said Neji, eyes trained on the slowly walking toward him Naruto. "And if he's like all Kiri Swordsmen, you won't ever hear him coming due to his silent killing technique. But right now, he's only walking toward us at 11 o clock."

Teammates shifting at Neji's called direction, they readied to attack Naruto.

"Wait!" shouted Neji, eyes finally taking notice of the feeling in the air. "It's a Genjutsu. A powerful one... very powerful."

The moment Neji finished speaking, the mist vanished completely and along with it Naruto was gone from view. Even Neji's view as the Hyuga attempted to locate Naruto even through the Genjutsu.

"No need to try and find me. I'm right here." said Naruto, appearing in front of Team Guy before taking a kick to the chin from Guy. A kick that phased through Naruto like he wasn't there. "Well not exactly here as you can see. But you all are and you'll be here until I run out of chakra. Which should be plenty of stall time."

"If we're trapped in a Genjutsu, how come I can't break it?" questioned Tenten, who was steadily attempting to no avail. "And why not kill us, you could at any time I assume?"

"That's a secret. And for why I won't kill you." said Naruto, casually taking a seat in front of Team Guy, who only followed his lead and sat before him. "I told you I wasn't here to fight or kill you. Only stall you."

Naruto could feel the five of them were all uneasy at the moment and from their chakra, were ready to spring into action at any given chance. Naruto only sat with a smile on his face as he enjoyed the time with Team Guy despite their want to kill him.

* * *

_(1 hour later - Cave just outside Sunagakure)_

"It really is something for them to hold out so long against him." came the voice of the sentient sword Samehada in Naruto's head, as the Hozuki Clan member sat perched in the top of the cave.

Naruto was currently viewing the fight going on between Sasori, the puppeteer of Akatsuki, against Haruno Sakura, a pink-haired medic from Konoha, and Chiyo, A suna elder who specializes in poisons.

_"It's not that they could keep up with Sasori. They can't, believe me. He's toying with them for whatever reason." _thought Naruto in his head back to the sharkskin sword. Naruto looked over to a shadowed corner as he could see the Akatsuki spy, Zetsu, sitting in the corner recording the fight. _"I can't make a move until he is gone. I'm already pushing it hiding here so close with my chakra suppressed."_

"You'll be fine Naruto-kun. Just continue and wait for your moment. You don't need chakra to still be extremely quiet and do a killing strike." commented the sword as Naruto merely nodded his head. A small poof of smoke sounded out as Naruto felt a 'frown' from Samehada. "You're gonna use that sword..."

_"You're not exactly a silent kill Same-chan." _thought Naruto back, brandishing his Mother's iconic chokuto. _"Plus, I feel my mother would want to kill him. She didn't care much for traitors from what I could gleam out of the notes she left me for Fuinjutsu."_

Hearing a compliant 'hmmph' from the sword, Naruto only smiled before his violet eyes picked up on Zetsu seeping back into the ground.

_"Perfect. He must be going to check on Deidara." _thought Naruto, letting his chakra flow unhindered before holding up a half ram seal. _"Don't have much chakra left in this faux body. Gotta make it count." _

A small spark of lightning fluttered around Naruto's body before he crouched down and readied for what he planned to do.

_(With Itachi)_

Sitting calmly on a rock in the middle of...

Sharingan eyes looking up, Itachi realized he had no clue where he and Naruto were currently.

_"Moon Country." _thought Itachi, remembering the events that transpired three days ago. The destroyed training ground brought back the memories of what happened. _"He's already starting his plan, hence why he hasn't come back from that faux body yet. Wonder which one he's going to kill." _

Naruto sat calmly, eyes closed in a lotus position. Itachi Sharingan eyes picked up on Samehada sitting there in his lap, growling at the stoic Uchiha. Itachi only smiled at the sword's loyalty before returning to his normal, emotionless face just as Naruto's violet eyes began to open.

"It seems my actions were unnecessary. Sasori was going to die anyway." said Naruto, disappointment visible in his eyes. "Deidara should of been my target. But he even managed to fool a Hyuga Clan member. He'll be tough if I actually get into a fight with him."

Itachi only looked at Naruto contemplate with himself over his actions before the Uchiha took out a shuriken and flung it at Naruto. Sliding right through Naruto's sternum due to his hydro body, Naruto only looked up at Itachi.

"Maybe you should allow me to assist in your taking down of Akatsuki"

Naruto perked up at that before a shark like grin graced his face. Just before Naruto could ask Itachi what he had in mind, he put up a palm before turning his head to the right.

"Zetsu. What is Up!" said Naruto, a few seconds before the plant man rose from the ground around the two. As usual, White Zetsu had a massive grin on his face to see Naruto.

"Hello Naruto!" said Zetsu in a sing-song voice. "What is going on?!"

**"No time for that." **came the stern voice of Black Zetsu, lone eye looking directly at Naruto. The pause from Black Zetsu with his stare at Naruto was a bit unnerving but it was disregarded when he spoke again. **"You two's target has been changed. Hidan and Kakazu will handle the Nibi now, you are to go after the Sanbi."**

Naruto's eyebrows perked up at that as he remembered killing the Sanbi when he put his chokuto through Yagura's heart.

"The Sanbi has resurfaced. Where at?" questioned Naruto.

"Kirigakure." said White Zetsu with a smile, knowing exactly why Naruto's face was stretching into a grin.

* * *

_(Konoha - 1 week later)_

"Are you sure this is accurate?" came the voice of the busty Hokage, Tsunade. A beautiful blonde woman who despite being in her 50s, looked to be in her early 20s due to a powerful Genjutsu she casts constantly on herself.

And right now, Tsunade was baffled at what she just heard from the two teams she just sent to Suna. Especially from Team Guy.

"I can assure you Tsunade-sama. Hozuki-san had all of us dead to rights and yet didn't kill us. Let alone harm us." said Neji, internally shook up at being so helpless to one man. "We walked right into a Genjutsu, a mirage it felt like. And all he said he wanted to do was stall us before letting us go."

Tsunade's brown eyes were looking at Neji before they looked down to show that she was thinking about what she just heard.

_"Why would he do that?" _thought Tsunade before hearing Menma speak.

"I wouldn't trust him. If he's in league with Itachi, who did try to kill us and capture me, then we shouldn't trust him either. Despite what he did" said Menma. Tsunade heard her favorite blonde before turning to see Kakashi move his book down from out of his face.

"If Naruto-san is a member of Akatsuki. There's no doubt we can't trust him. They've taken the Ichibi, killing a Kage to do so, and from what I've gleamed, Kumo's Nibi Jinchuriki is also captured and dead." said Kakashi as you could feel the but coming. "But. Every instance I've met Naruto. He's had every reason to kill someone. And the ability to do so. Yet he hasn't. Why? Why should us staying alive matter if he's so committed to Akatsuki and their only goal is to steal Bijuu?"

Everyone took those words into consideration before Tsunade just bid the two teams adieu. After they left, Tsunade stood up from her desk to look out the window toward where Kirigakure was.

_"This is the same kid from those Iwa Chunin Exams. I never would've thought he'd become what he has became." _thought Tsunade, seeing the visage of Naruto, a ten year old one that she healed in Iwa all those years ago. _"I need to see him myself to understand this better. I actually liked that kid." _

Tsunade only stood staring toward Kirigakure as Naruto plagued her brain for a little while longer.

_(Kirigakure - Same Time)_

Same as the Hokage, Kiri's Mizukage was also plagued with thoughts of Naruto. Though her thoughts were much more frequent these days, especially at the moment due to her current predicament.

"Naruto-kun.." breathed out Mei, eyes closed with her head up a little as she felt a pair of lips kissing her neck. Right where her pulse was at. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to capture a Bijuu." said Naruto, continuing to kiss Mei's neck in between his words. "The Sanbi to be exact. I'm sure you know its resurfaced."

"Indeed. Several shinobi are supposed to go out and try and tame it today." said Mei, craning her head back to kiss Naruto. "Now that I know you're going to be there. I may have to help them."

"Mhmm." said Naruto in Mei's mouth before looking into those vibrant green eyes. "You do realize that even with you there, I'm still leaving with that Bijuu."

"How long until we have to start?" questioned Mei, watching Naruto close his eyes to concentrate on his sensing ability.

"Itachi is currently there, inciting the Sanbi to come closer. It was pretty far and deep." said Naruto, still with his eyes closed before opening them. "About 13 minut-mmphh"

Cut off by Mei kissing him, the two fell to the ground from Mei's jumping Naruto as she planned to get all 13 minutes she could.

_(14 Minutes Later)_

"-order and respect. Hence why that's the problem with you young kids today. I jus-" started Ao before turning his head to see Mei land next to him and his current team of Chojuro and Mangetsu. "Mei-sama. You're here?"

Her graceful landing was followed by the smoothing out of her dress and the fixing of her hair as Mei had a heated blush on her face.

"Erhem...yes I am." said Mei, finally finished adjusting herself back right before looking at the 3 before her. "It is to my knowledge that we will have company here. Of the S rank capacity."

Ao's eye widened at that before he turned to look out over the enormous ocean they were beside with his Byakugan turning on. It took Ao all of 8 seconds to spot two figures, one sitting calmly and the other waving at him jovially.

"Hozuki...Naruto."

Mangetsu's eyebrows raised at that, as did Chojuro's eyes perk up at the name, as the white-haired swordsman grew a shark like smile.

"Naruto-nii." said Mangetsu, looking in the direction Ao was as his grin widened a bit. Chojuro was a bit apprehensive at first but the swordsman in him shined through as a grin appeared on his face as well.

"Let's go see how my teammate has progressed." said Chojuro as Mei smiled.

"Yes. Let's."

_(With Naruto and Itachi)_

Forever calm, Itachi sat on a rock that overlooked the lake as Naruto was merely waving off into what looked like nothing.

"They're coming." said Naruto, with a grin appearing on his face as he could feel Ao, Chojuro, Mangetsu, and Mei's chakra signatures approaching. Naruto turned to look back at Itachi. "Ja-ken-poy?"

Itachi didn't answer as Naruto walked over and played the well known rock paper scissors with the stoic Uchiha, who didn't even move. Playing paper, Naruto smiled and threw up the victory sign.

"Man you suck at this game. Looks like I win again." said Naruto, pulling out a notepad before writing another tally by his name. "764-0. On a hot streak. You get the Sanbi. I'll hold everyone else off."

Itachi only nodded his head before standing up and peering his Sharingan out to the water. The two Akatsuki members then jumped to their destinations, Naruto the the Kiri contingent and Itachi the Sanbi.

Landing with no sound, as always, Naruto grinned when the four Kiri ninjas landed before him.

"Chojuro, Mangetsu-nii, Ao-senpai." said Naruto, looking at each as he spoke their names before turning to Mei. "Mei-chan. Nice to see you all."

"Sup bro. Though I think you've already seen Mei before this." said Mangetsu, seeing the blush reappear on Mei's face even though it disappeared quickly. "You've grown...tall."

"A little bit. I see you let Chojuro keep Hiramekarai." said Naruto, turning to his glasses wearing teammate. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Mangetsu-sensei is nice like that." said Chojuro, almost feeling like faltering in Naruto's presence but ironically could feel goosebumps at the prospect of facing him. It was a weird combination but Chojuro imagined it no other way. "I see Samehada is still in good hands."

"That she is." said Naruto, turning to the Captain of the Hunter-nins and current body guard of Mei in Ao. "Hello senpai. Your footsteps are still loud. But I'll have to thank you for watching Mei-hime for me."

_"Hime." _thought Mei, internally jumping around like a little girl at the princess title from Naruto. A scoff from Ao brought Mei back to the situation at hand as she heard the man speak.

"There's no use trying to be quiet around you. You could hear a pin drop in a vacuum." said Ao, tensed due to his not knowing Naruto wasn't really going to try and kill them. Though nobody felt the need to tell him that, it was more fun this way. "Let us get this over with shall we. We will stop you and then retrieve the Sanbi. You Akatsuki won't be taking our Bijuu like Suna's and Kumo's."

"That's where you're wrong senpai." said Naruto, a chuckle coming from him as he shifted speedily through a dozen hand seals. "I'm going to take the Sanbi. And there's nothing you can do to stop that. **Suiton: Gosuikodan no Jutsu (Water Style: Five Water Shark Bullet Technique)**"

From the water directly next to them, five circles of water began to form before five sharks came speeding out at all of them. Naruto landed on the back of the one coming toward him while the others dodged the powerful water sharks trying to eat them.

Naruto came riding toward the four now airborne shinobi as he watched Mangetsu and Chojuro pull out their zanbutos. Chojuro with Hiramekarai of course and Mangetsu actually whipped out Shibuki, the splash sword from Jinpachi, out of a scroll from his hip pouch.

Naruto forced his water shark ride to turn up as he made it head straight for Mei while he jumped off to face the three others that were airborne. Hearing steam arise from Mei evaporating the water shark with a blast of lava, Naruto grinned as he made contact with Mangetsu and Chojuro.

**"Hiramekarai Kai (Hiramekarai Release)" **said Chojuro, his large sword bursting with chakra as he shifted it into that of a hammer. Naruto merely placed his back to Chojuro while bringing his chokuto out of the seal to meet a swing of Mangetsu's own sword.

"Heh. Chojuro should of known Samehada would eat that chakra before it could be used." said Mangetsu, watching Naruto block Hiramekarai with the sharkskin blade on his back. "Glad I got explosions, you can't absorb that."

Seals glowing on his sword, Mangetsu's eyes widened before a look of recollection came to his face.

"How forgetful you are too sensei." said Naruto, his mother's sword cancelling the blast from Shibuki with its chakra suppression abilities. The three swordsmen landed on the ground in the same position before Naruto turned to see Ao right beside him.

"Seems you're forgetful as well." said Ao before his visible eye widened. "You're not Naruto. Mei-sama!"

The Naruto between the three was merely a clone as the three of them turned to see Naruto engaged in a bout of Taijutsu with the auburn-haired Kage.

"He was in the water shark that he jumped off of. Nice." said Mangetsu, realizing Naruto must of merged with the water shark that Mei blasted with lava. The water shark protecting him from being melted and allowing him to get close to the dual kekkai genkai kunoichi.

"No time to gawk. We have to help her." said Ao, running to his Kage's aid as Mangetsu and Chojuro followed suit.

_(With Itachi)_

As calm as they come, Itachi casually strolled across the enormous ocean surrounding Kirigakure as he headed out to meet the Sanbi. Itachi walked for a few more feet before stopping and standing stock still.

A few seconds after Itachi stopped, a shadowed figure could be seen underneath the water a dozen feet in front of him. Though that shadowed figure was enormous and in the shape of a huge turtle. Which indeed it was as the Sanbi came rising out of the ocean to look at the stoic Uchiha.

Only one eye was visible from the large Bijuu and it was currently staring at that Sharingan of Itachi. The bijuu seemed to know who Itachi was from its current apprehension and also why the Uchiha was here.

"I'm sorry." said Itachi, eyes shifting slowly into his Mangekyo. A tear of blood was the only warning the Sanbi got before a majestic, black flame spawned all across it. **"Amaterasu (Heavenly Illumination)"**

Hearing the Bijuu scream, Itachi placed a hand over his twitching eye as he watched the flames begin to burn the Bijuu alive.

* * *

_(With Naruto vs Kiri)_

Watching Naruto face off against Mei was...oddly satisfying. Mangetsu, Chojuro, and Ao were waiting to jump in but found they couldn't due to the enchanting display going on between the two lovers.

"It's almost like water flowing over stone. Like the opening sequence of yoga. Or a butterfly emerging from its cocoon." said Mangetsu, watching the two before feeling the stares from Chojuro and Ao. "What?"

"Those first two analogies were okay. But..a butterfly from its cocoon?" questioned Ao with a deadpan expression. Mangetsu only smiled sheepishly before getting hit by a wayward kunai that lodged in his chest. "See. That could of killed you."

A deflected lava ball smacked Ao in his left shoulder, tearing through his flak jacket as it careened through the forest. Mangetsu only smirked at that, taking the kunai out of his liquefied body before turning to see Naruto and Mei firing off jutsu after jutsu. Mainly from Mei.

"Haven't learned any new tricks Mei-hime. I'm disappointed." said Naruto, realizing he spoke too soon when he saw two more Meis phase into existence. Raising an eyebrow in intrigue, Naruto grinned seeing them shift through hand seals. "Shadow clones. Nice."

**"Doton: Doryu (Earth Style: Earth Dragon)" "Katon: Ryuka (Fire Style: Fire Dragon)" "Suiton: Suiryu (Water Style: Water Dragon)" **said one Mei for each elemental dragon as their chests puffed up before expelling said elemental dragon. Naruto grinned at the approaching trifecta while just putting his hands in the rat seal and looking at Ao.

A thunderous crash of all three elements detonating at the same place on top of Naruto was deafening as the four from Kiri looked on to see if Naruto was hit. Smoke continued to rise blindingly around Naruto as the four from Kiri just waited with baited breath before Mei turned to Ao getting impatient.

"What is he doing?" questioned Mei as Ao was only shaking his head.

"You didn't hit him somehow. Actually..it's like you never hit him.." said Ao, confused to what was going on.

"That's because your Byakugan doesn't have the Hyuga blood running through it. You can't do all that they can. Thus why you're confused as to what happened." said Naruto, appearing from thin air behind Ao, shocking the anbu captain.

"The Mirage." said Mangetsu, a smile before he began looking around along with Chojuro and Mei. Ao was only staring at Naruto who continued to look at him.

"But...but when. And my Byakugan can tell when Genjutsu is being used. This doesn't make sense." said Ao, confused as to what was going on.

"Kai." said Mei, releasing Ao from the Genjutsu as he saw Naruto vanish. "You saw him hold the rat seal right. He placed you under a genjutsu before setting that mirage to get us all."

"But there's a way to get out of it." said Mangetsu, smiling as Ao looked toward him before hearing Naruto and Chojuro go at it.

"How do you escape that Genjutsu. I couldn't even tell it was activated. It happened so fast." said Ao as just before Mei could answer him, Naruto appeared in the middle of the three of them.

"Please don't tell my secrets Mei-hime." said Naruto, before engaging the three of them with his mother's chokuto. White blade sliding down Mei's freshly whipped out kunai, Naruto spun before catching Mangetsu's shibuki before it could blow and placing his foot in the approaching Chojuro's chest.

A grunt came from Chojuro as he took the kick and didn't seem affected by it in the slightest other than voicing it. Chojuro then let out a war cry before hefting his sword above his head to attack Naruto with. Swinging down, Chojuro cleaved Naruto's leg clean off.

Chojuro watched Naruto put the uncut part of his leg to the ground to allow the cleaved off part to reform. A kick from Ao caused the entire right side of Naruto's face to turn to water at the blow before everything just stilled. Almost like the Earth even froze as it was deathly quiet.

_"Anywhere but his face..."_ thought Mangetsu before seeing the scowl forming on Naruto's reforming face from the blow. Lightning sparked across Naruto's entire body before he stood up quicker than before. _"That speed. He was toying with us...how strong are you?" _

Watching his psuedo little brother shift from a carefree attacking to a purely disabling one was eye-opening. Mangetsu watched Ao be the first victim as a clone spawned from Naruto and lifted Ao 10 feet into the air with a well placed kick to the captain's chin.

_"He's gotten even faster." _thought Ao in midair from the powerful kick.

Chojuro was next as another water clone spawned from Naruto and shifted easily into Chojuro's guard like it was nothing. A hand coated in white lightning found its way to the blue-haired Jonin's chest as paralysis soon followed.

_"So this is what it's like to face overwhelming odds." _thought Chojuro, jolting as he was brought to his knees by the lightning. _"He was supposed to be our Kage at age 13 and I can see why. He made it look effortless."_

The third clone spawned out of Naruto as it engaged Mangetsu. Several dodging of fists from the clone wasn't enough as a hand was placed on the elder Hozuki's chest.

_"Water clones' are only 10% the strength of its original." _thought Mangetsu, seeing a seal spread out across his body that brought him to his knees, forming an indent in the ground. _"These are Water Shadow clones because there's no way I'd allow a gravity seal to be placed on me by 10% of Naruto's power. But I guess he did have enough power at age 13 to take out a perfect Jinchuriki. That was 7 years ago so I shouldn't be so ashamed huh."_

5 seconds was all that passed as Mangetsu saw Chojuro incapacitated like himself before shifting his eyes to see Ao land roughly on the ground. Ao sprung to his feet immediately as the clone was standing in front of him. The clone caught Ao's fist in its palm before he grinned.

**"Suiro no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique)" **said the clone before it shifted into a perfect ball of dense water, trapping Ao inside. The real Naruto stood staring at Mei as the pretty Kage was the only one left, having watched the amazing sequence before her just now in awe.

"Those years you worked with Ao and you'd think he'd know about harming your face." said Mei, goosebumps forming on her own skin seeing Naruto's stare and the chakra exuding from him at the moment.

"I always wore a mask." said Naruto, before rocketing toward the Auburn-haired kunoichi. Naruto appeared before Mei before having to duck a lightning blade flying right over his head.

"Seems I wasn't late to the party." said Ameyuri, standing behind Naruto to sandwich him between her and Mei. Ameyuri had her connected Kiba blades in one hand and her Hunter-Nin mask in the other.

Naruto had a smile on his face and just as he was about to shift into hand seals, a flare was seen out in the middle of the ocean. A sigh escaping him, Naruto stood up staring at Mei.

"Sorry Ame-chan. I guess you are late." said Naruto, moving toward Mei faster than the Kage or Ameyuri could react. Splitting into water that went right around Mei before reforming back into Naruto on the other side, Mei turned around to see Naruto waving at them. "Until next time."

Ameyuri and Mei both saw Naruto turn into a drop of water before just like that, he was gone. Ameyuri let out an annoyed huff before turning to see Mei with a hand on her lips, rubbing them with her fingers.

"You had more Naruto time too. This is bogus." said Ameyuri with another huff as the Kage only smiled giddily.

_"See you soon Naruto-kun." _thought Mei before turning to help her shinobi, they were never going to beat Naruto. She knew it but it was fun to see how he'd progressed. And she knew that wasn't even close to the full extent of his immense power. _"I hope I'm there to see you go all out. Just be sure to come home afterward."_

_(With Itachi and the Sanbi)_

Hand raised after sending a fireball flare into the air, Itachi waited a few seconds before seeing Naruto rise from the water beside him. Naruto could feel Itachi's chakra was severely drained and more weakened than before.

"You shouldn't keep using those eyes. You know how bad they are to your health." said Naruto, looking to the Sanbi and seeing the burn marks scattered all over it. A shunshin to land atop the floating on its back Bijuu, Naruto clapped his hands together.

A perfect dome of water surrounded the Sanbi as Naruto stood atop the large water prison. Nodding to Itachi, the two Akatsuki members trekked off with the unconscious Bijuu in tow.

"I will contact Pain that the capture of the Sanbi is complete." said Itachi as Naruto nodded his head and continued to ride the water prison beneath his feet.

Continuing to move the Sanbi to a safer and easier to extract location, Naruto was feeling bored now that it was already over. That was until Naruto felt a very keen chakra enter his sensory cloud. One he was all too familiar with.

_"Orochimaru." _thought Naruto, feeling the snake Sannin's chakra enter the area. _"Just the man I've been waiting to see. See you soon."_

A shark like grin etched its way to Naruto's face as lightning began to spark across him and his eyes turned golden with blue markings appearing across his body. The Snake was about to meet the Shark.

* * *

**And that's a wrap**

**Hope you enjoyed. Next chapters from me will be 3 for Naruto Senju. Gonna finally finish that one. Writer's Block is a motherfucker and I wanted to end it right. So to fans of that story, those 3 chaps will be out soon. Until then.**

**Leave a Review or Shoot me a pm.**

**-Hamp Out**


	19. Meetings

**Ba ba balubop. Chapter Nineteen. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I do own this Vegan burrito from Chipotle though. About to murder this thing. And yeah, I'm converting to Veganism. Well being converted. Like Samuel L Jackson said in Pulp Fiction: "My girl's vegetarian, which basically makes me one too."

* * *

**Chapter 19: Meetings**

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. A statement labeling the ideal that if two people hate someone, that mutual hate should birth some semblance of good nature between them.

Such as if you and another coworker hate your boss, you can both solace knowing someone else hates your employer. Or if one gang hated another gang, and the former found another gang who hated the latter those two gangs could potentially be partnered to take down their mutual foe.

Naruto didn't get that memo though. Not that he didn't believe it was true, but there are always exceptions to every rule. Such as Orochimaru.

Naruto didn't like Akatsuki and he knew Orochimaru didn't. So the two should be sort of in the same team except Naruto also hated Orochimaru. Especially right at the moment.

"Orochimaru...why are you in Kiri?" questioned Naruto, standing imposingly over the snake Sannin. A snake Sannin who was gasping for air and bleeding from several places.

"Kukukuku...my how you...you've grown." said Orochimaru, struggling to prop himself up on a nearby tree. The golden eyes of Orochimaru met Naruto's golden ones as he continued speaking. "I came here for the Sanbi. To get control of a Bijuu, a lot of others would come to Kiri for the same."

"So Suigetsu never crossed your mind..."

"No-Arggghh!" started Orochimaru before Naruto's chokuto cut him off. The pure white blade slid cleanly through the Sannin's shoulder as it pinned him to the tree.

"I can feel the fluctuations in your chakra. Do not lie to me." said Naruto, sensing ability monitoring Orochimaru closely. Funneling lightning into his blade, Naruto watched Orochimaru jolt at the sensations. "Do not come to Kirigakure again...I don't care the reason."

_"This boy is dangerous. Sage mode isn't anything to trifle with.."_ thought Orochimaru, mouth opening as something shot out of it.

A second before Orochimaru's mouth opened, Naruto was already moving his chokuto out of the Sannin's shoulder and smoothly through the air.

"I can feel your chakra flow for that replacement." said Naruto, having moved his chokuto to stab into the new Orochimaru. Chokuto pinning that Orochimaru into the ground with white lightning still surging through it. "There are somethings I need from you before you go."

Eyes straining at being bested again so handily, Orochimaru couldn't do anything.

_"Just like with Itachi...I should of taken or killed this boy before he could get stronger."_ thought Orochimaru, watching Naruto hold a half ram seal. A seal etched its way across Orochimaru's body as Naruto grew a shark like grin. _"Being called a genius in comparison to the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans is unfair. Their genius nullifies mine. But they have the blood to ascend greater. The genetic makeup to be more than I could ever be.."_

The seal stopped spreading across Orochimaru's upper body before glowing a lava red. Orochimaru winced at the stinging sensation as Naruto nodded.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing that concerns you. Now, for that other thing." said Naruto, now holding the tiger seal as he looked at Orochimaru. "I want to know everything you know about the Akatsuki."

_(Land of Earth - 2 weeks later)_

"Don't you find it annoying that we have the most targets?" questioned Naruto, walking in stride with Itachi. The two shinobi were currently strolling through the Land of Earth in search of their next target in the Yonbi.

"Someone was destined to have more targets than the others simply due to the odd number of Bijuu." said Itachi.

"True. But us having 4 targets could easily be settled if Pain and Konan took one of them. Some BS that we get the Sanbi, Rokubi, Hachibi and Kyubi." said Naruto, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Also hampers my plans..."

"It does. But Akatsuki members are continuing to drop."

"Mhmm. Seems pipsqueak isn't such a pipsqueak anymore." said Naruto, holding up five fingers. "Only Deidara, Pain, Konan, Zetsu, and the new guy, Tobi, remain."

It'd happened after the sealing of the Sanbi. Kakazu and Hidan were confronted by the Kyubi Jinchuriki and his team. And that scuffle ended with both Akatsuki members dying. Kakazu by a sure kill jutsu from the Jinchuriki.

"I wonder how much he's grown." said Naruto, thinking about the blonde haired kid he saw back in Wave. "Regardless. It's time for the Yonbi and Same-chan won't stop pestering me to fight him."

"That's because we didn't get to take on the Sanbi. I wanted to taste more of that turtle's chakra." said Samehada, angered that she didn't get to fight the Bijuu last time. "All because you wanted Mei time made me miss out."

_"Are you pouting?"_ questioned Naruto, feeling his sword seemingly deflate. _"Aww Same-chan. I'm so sorry. Don't worry, this guy here is all us."_

Finally getting close enough to Iwa, Naruto figured it was a good time to find their target. Fully letting his sensory cloud go, Naruto found the Yonbi almost immediately. Though it did come with a complication. A complication that happened back during the chunin exams.

_"Damn. Forgot she could do that." _thought Naruto.

Expanding his sensory cloud rather than hiding his signature, Naruto could be detected by sensors. Most sensors could feel he was spotting them, but didn't have the ability to follow his sensing back to pinpoint him. It just sucked that this particular sensor could.

And Naruto could feel someone latch onto his sensory cloud and ride it all the way back to him. Feeling the person who did immediately come rushing his way, Naruto let out a sigh. He didn't have time or the motivation to do this.

"Itachi, you remember the Chunin exams all those years back?" questioned Naruto, not getting a response from Itachi. Clearly not deterred by his teammate's lack of response, Naruto just continued as he usually did. "Well, that Iwa princess spotted me. She's knows where we are."

"Backup?"

"She didn't bring any. Must be confident in herself."

"Well then this should be a good warm up for your fight with the Yonbi." said Itachi, redirecting to a stone near them to take a seat

"Yeah, not really though." said Naruto, waiting patiently for the sensor. Almost 10 minutes went by before a girl garbed in an Iwa Jonin uniform landed in front of Naruto. "Kurotsuchi."

"Naruto." said the pink-eyed Kurotsuchi, baffled that it was really him. "I didn't think it was you but I should of known. That was at least 10 kms just now and you didn't even expand it as far as I'm sure you can. Why are you here?"

A shark-like grin was her only response as Kurotsuchi scoffed at the smile.

"I see you're not in the mood for talking then." said Kurotsuchi, taking up a stance. Naruto just continued to smile as Kurotsuchi rushed him. "Guess I'll just have to make you talk."

"Kurotsuchi..._hime_." said Naruto, faltering Kurotsuchi's rush with the added suffix. Her thrown punch wouldn't have busted a grape as Naruto palmed it. "You've felt my chakra in comparison to yours. You've kept up with me since those Chunin Exam days I'm sure and I know you know what I've done and why I'm here."

Kurotsuchi's knees began to shake at that as all of it was coming to her finally. Her irrational impulse basically got her killed. Naruto was right, she'd kept up with him ever since her defeating him those years back.

_"This is the guy who killed a perfect Jinchuriki..."_ thought Kurotsuchi, staring into the violet eyes of Naruto that weakened her resolve farther. _"And that was almost a decade ago. He's only gotten stronger I'm sure and I still probably couldn't defeat that Naruto..."_

Feeling Kurotsuchi move her arm down, Naruto just walked pass her as she stood frozen.

"Don't take this as you being weak Kurotsuchi-hime. You're strong. We both know that." said Naruto, Itachi stepping beside him to match his stride. "It's just this isn't a fight you want to have. I'll spar with you any day but right now, I'd have had to kill you and I'd hate to have done that. You can tell your Kage we're here. Either way, I'm taking the Yonbi."

Kurotsuchi just continued to stare forward as Naruto walked clean out of the clearing.

_"What the hell is he?"_ thought Kurotsuchi, feeling her heart continue to beat out of her chest. When Naruto said her name, he channeled enough chakra to visibly show Kurotsuchi how swift her death would of been. _"Not even tou-chan or jiji can do that. They're family but still, they can't scare me off sheer presence..."_

Kurotsuchi just remained in that clearing as she continued to ponder what just happened.

_(Outskirts of Iwa - with Naruto &amp; Itachi)_

"If I didn't say it before with Mei-hime..." said Naruto, sweat rolling down his forehead. "I hate lava. Nah...I know more descriptive words. I _abhor _lava."

Of course he promised his sword that'd go toe to toe with the Four tails Jinchurki, Roshi. And the four tails was somehow a lava spewing sage of the monkeys.

"This is some BS." said Naruto.

Naruto was not sweating because he was exerting that much effort. He was sweating because Roshi had coated himself in essentially a skin of lava. It was hot. And sweat was pouring down Naruto's shirtless body having given his cloak to Itachi to preserve it.

**"You picked the wrong fight boy...I'm going to melt you." **said Roshi, seeing nothing but an eye roll from the swordsman. **"You pretentious punk. I know about you. Tsuchikage-sama gave us your whole rundown since you beat Han. If you couldn't handle steam, you definitely can't handle lava."**

"I'm sure your Kage told you I beat Han as well. At the age of ten." said Naruto, placing samehada on his back as he spoke.

**"That was a baby Han who couldn't control his bijuu like I can.."** said Roshi, lava turning a more molten red as he charged up. Naruto could feel the increase in power but never wavered a bit. **"You're done kid."**

"Fun fact for you Roshi." said Naruto as the lava monkey came at him. "My girlfriend and future ex-wife uses lava way better than you do. **Suiton: Bakusui Shoha (Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)**"

Stopped stone cold by a seemingly inhuman amount of water, Roshi was sent off the cliff he and Naruto were standing by. Steam could easily be seen coming from the water as it was evaporating from contact with Roshi. Though you could see the lava beginning to cool into rock on top of him.

**"As if that little sprinkle would stop me." **said Roshi, lava turning back red as it got rid of all the water around him. _"This kid is dangerous. That amount of water is insane to think came from him." _thought Roshi, still standing in the makeshift jacuzzi from Naruto's jutsu and his heat source. _"These Akatsuki are dangerous I heard. But to willingly face a Jinchuriki and not even bat an eyelash... unimaginable."_

"I'd hope not." said Naruto landing atop the water before his eyes widened.

Rocketing toward Naruto, Roshi had a molten fist outstretched. It was absolute perfect timing from the Yonbi Jinchuriki to catch a vulnerable Naruto.

**"Yoton: Shakugaikoken (Lava Style: Scorching Armored Fist)" **said Roshi, narrowly missing Naruto. Though there was still a smile on his face.

Roshi came to a stop, skidding along Naruto's small pool in the trench. Standing up, Roshi looked to see Itachi shaking his head as Roshi turned to Naruto. Naruto had a hand up near his face as it was shadowed by his bangs.

_"I missed. But the heat from that should of melted his face to the bone." _thought Roshi, seeing water drip from under Naruto's hand. _"Guess that Hozuki in him is good for something. Probably can't take another one though."_

Heating up another fist, Roshi prepped to do the same thing until Naruto turned into a drop of water. Seeing the water drop hit the small 'pool', Roshi heard a spark of lightning behind him in almost the same amount of time as the drop's splash.

**"Raigeki Senkou (Raigeki Flash)" **said Naruto.

Naruto still had a hand up to his leaking face. But his other hand was coated in crackling white lightning. A hand that was shoved easily through the shoulder of the arm that came close to punching Naruto.

Roshi felt no pain from the attack as the paralysis and immediate cauterizing of the wound didn't allow for it. But he could still see a hand shoved cleanly through his body. And that shock alone was enough to give him phantom pain from the jutsu.

**"Even through my lava cha**kra mode..." said Roshi, losing said chakra mode while he spoke. His body was slowly going numb the longer Naruto held his lightning coated arm through it. "You boy...are dangerous. A hazard to this world potentially. Especially with skills such as those."

"And you'll be dead in three days." said Naruto, amping up the Lightning as he spoke. Time to put the man to sleep. "Find solace in the fact you're the only one to feel this technique and live pass its completion."

Pulling his arm out of Roshi's shoulder, a lightning bolt appeared to come out the other end that extended four feet from the wound. Roshi fell unceremoniously to the ground paralyzed and unconscious from the shocking jutsu. Naruto stared at Roshi for a few more seconds until Itachi landed beside him.

"Naruto.."

"Let's leave. I'll tell Pain we're ready." said Naruto, an eerie feeling coming from the swordsman.

_"I could feel that shift..that was different from the other times someone harmed his face. But it couldn't have been just about his face. He'd chakra scared that girl out of a fight. One he'd usually welcome with open arms." _thought Itachi, watching Naruto scoop Roshi up on Samehada to drain his chakra while they got him somewhere for the extraction. _"I need to find out about this and tell Jiraiya-sama. This may not bode well for the future.. Especially since I won't be here for much longer."_

* * *

_(1 week later - Konoha)_

"Is this accurate.." said Tsunade lowly. Staring at a report handed to her, Tsunade looked up at the Anbu in front of her. "Is this report correct..."

"Yes ma'am. It has been confirmed." stated the Anbu, picking his head up from his kneeling position to say so. "Missing ninja, Uchiha Sasuke, has killed nuke-nin Orochimaru of the Sannin."

Tsunade sat frozen for a few seconds before nodding her head to the Anbu. The Anbu sunk into the floor, leaving Tsunade alone. Pushing her chair back, Tsunade shakily stood up as she walked to the roof of her office building.

Staring off into the sunset, the sun gave off a red glow. Some kind of symbolism could probably be explained about that but Tsunade didn't care to find it. Mainly because she had a guest.

"To sneak up on a Kage. You must be some kind of shinobi." said Tsunade to seemingly no one in particular. Moment she said that though, a mist began to form atop the roof. "Thought you'd have been here sooner."

"We were never close enough for me to pop in." came Naruto's voice as Naruto himself appeared next to Tsunade. Both staring into the setting sun. "And I guess I didn't necessarily sneak up on you if you spotted me the moment I arrived."

"I haven't been snuck up on in over 40 years kid." said Tsunade, stealing a glance at the matured kid from the Chunin Exams all those years ago.

He'd grown handsomely during that time since winning Tsunade her first big bet ever. Though ironically causing her to gamble harder and lose more than she won. But that wasn't his doing. At least directly.

"Give me a reason I shouldn't capture you right now." requested Tsunade as Naruto merely smiled.

"Because to do such a thing would do more harm than good. You wouldn't stop the destruction such action would cause to your village and it's wonderful inhabitants just to capture me." said Naruto. "Plus, I'm not here to do anything. Yet. Just here to talk. I got your message."

"I was afraid you didn't." said Tsunade, having sent that message after the incident in Suna. The one where Naruto didn't kill her shinobi when they were utterly at his mercy. "I need to know why."

"The Suna thing?"

"Yes the Suna thing."

"I thought I told them. I wasn't there to kill them."

"And when Kakashi almost killed Zabuza.."

"Wasn't there to kill him either."

Tsunade just stared at Naruto as the swordsman just continued to look forward.

"So it wasn't because you couldn't...you just didn't because it wasn't necessary." stated Tsunade as Naruto nodded to confirm it. "So you're not the cold blooded murder people project you as."

"Not at all. I don't enjoy killing Tsunade-dono." said Naruto, peering his violet eyes into Tsunade's brown. "It's just a stigma that comes with being a member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist."

"One you don't deny?"

"I rather admire having it. Less people mess with you that way you know." said Naruto with a shark like grinning forming on his face. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"No. I want to know about these plans of yours. Your ulterior motive in the Akatsuki." said Tsunade, not worried about learning of said Akatsuki itself. Jiriaya was handling that. She wanted to know Naruto's specific plans because Jiraiya himself didn't know. "What's the endgame? If you tell me now, I may be able to remove that criminal status from your name once it is complete."

"Such faith in yourself. It's admirable." said Naruto, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I've killed people Tsunade. There is no changing that. And I belong to an organization that will soon be announced one of, if not the, most dangerous groups to humanity. I will be a criminal until I die. There's no changing that."

"You won't be one in Konoha.."

"If this is some way to recruit me when this is all done. Don't." said Naruto. "While my blood dictates I should hold some fondness for this village for what my ancestors shared with it, the simple fact is... I don't. My home is Kirigakure. And while I may hold this place near my heart because my mother did. It doesn't mean I will choose it over Kiri. I can hide in Kiri if I really wanted to hide."

"So you don't want to be pardoned of your crimes?" questioned Tsunade, not understanding the swordsman. "You want to be a criminal?"

"Like I said. I've killed people." said Naruto. "Killing for my village is one thing. But the people I've killed were innocent." continued Naruto, eyes now looking down. "They may have done things in the past to deserve death but it wasn't my place to do execute them. They were killed simply over the fact they had something I needed to get. Something they had no control over."

"What do you think killing for your village is?" questioned Tsunade, getting Naruto to turn to her. "Sometimes you're given orders to kill someone. And you do them because that's what needed to be done."

"Your village ever want to invoke world domination?"

"Maybe not to that degree. But we've all done dastardly things." said Tsunade, poking Naruto in his exposed chest to get him to look at her. "You have a good heart. I know it because I spent about an hour healing your body."

"Things can change."

"They can. And until I see they do, you're still alright in my book."

Naruto just turned his head back to look at the sunset as Tsunade did the same. Staring for a few moments, a figure landed in the mist atop the Hokage's roof.

"Tsunade-sama. You called?" questioned a female voice through the mist. Stepping into view of the mist, the purple hair and trenchcoat were dead giveaways. "You requested the amazing and awesome Anko and she has arrived."

"I didn't call you." said Tsunade, getting a confused look from Anko.

"An Anbu just came and got me." said Anko as Tsunade smiled softly.

"Did the Anbu have a bird mask?"

"Yeah. Tori came by and said you need my presence." said Anko. Anko just watched Tsunade turn to her right as she mock glared.

"You didn't have to trick my shinobi."

"I didn't kill him at least."

Anko knew that voice.

"Not the point Gaki."

"I think it's a pretty good one."

"Pretty boy.." said Anko, catching a smile when the mist faded. Anko's eyes widened at that face as it was most definitely Naruto. "You actually came."

"I actually did." said Naruto. "I didn't forget my promise to you. And I can finally make good on it."

"Took you long enough." said Anko, dropping her trenchcoat before taking off her fishnet shirt. "Ready when you are."

Burning the visual of a topless Anko into his mind, again. Naruto looked at the snake mistress as Tsunade just shook her head.

"I only needed your shoulder." said Naruto. "But that works too."

"What's going on?" questioned Tsunade, watching Naruto stand behind Anko.

"Remember Anko-chan's curse seal?" questioned Naruto, biting his thumb before swiping the blood on his palm. Tsunade obviously knew about the seal as it was a rhetorical question from Naruto. Placing his hand on Anko's seal, a series of kanji spread from it. "Now you see it. Now you don't."

The series of kanji glowed red along with her curse seal. Kanji seeping into the mark, Tsunade watched the three comma like marks disappear. Though it didn't disappear as in vanish, it merely shifted into a new design.

"It looks like 3 shark teeth inside a four symbols seal." said Tsunade, drawing the shark teeth thing from the shark swordsman in front of her.

"Yep. I can't erase Anko's seal." said Naruto, proud of his work. "But since I met Orochimaru a few weeks ago, I have the ability to shift its properties."

Anko could feel a slight burn come from the seal but also felt something else. Or a lack of something to be precise. Well, someone to be even more precise.

"Orochimaru..he's gone." said Anko, eyes tearing up at that prospect. Turning to Naruto, Anko hugged the swordsman to her body. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you..."

"It was nothing Anko-chan." said Naruto, to the girl who'd likely debt herself to him forever. He'd always downplay it of course but it likely wouldn't change how she felt. "Think nothing of it pretty lady."

"Nothing of it. You don't understand. I could always feel his presence like he was a part of..wait." Started Anko before stopping herself. Naruto just said he couldn't get rid of Anko's cursed mark. Only shift the properties. "What properties did you shift?"

_A couple. Think nothing of it_

Anko heard the voice in her head as Naruto just smiled at her. Naruto had replaced Orochimaru. Replaced Orochimaru with himself.

"I can't force you to think a certain way. Or take over your body." said Naruto, still being hugged by Anko. "But I did have to place myself into you to take out Orochimaru entirely. Otherwise you'd have him there. Not able to do nothing but still able to talk. And that'd have been annoying most likely."

"So basically you're just a voice in my head."

"Something like that. Hope you don't mind."

"After that night we shared with your future wife. Of course not."

_We'll share another one too if you don't stop hugging me. You're shirtless and I'm practically shirtless. _

Hearing that voice in her head, Anko just smiled at the swordsman as he smiled back.

_(Unknown location)_

Standing atop a building, an orange haired man with ripple pattern eyes was glancing upwards. Impressive because his eyes never blinked even as it was raining extremely hard at the moment. Rain drops visibly splashing and bouncing of his eyes didn't even make him flinch.

"Pain-sama." came the voice of the blue haired Konan, standing behind her leader and teammate. "He's here."

"I'm coming."

Following Konan into the building, Pain spotted a man with an orange spiral mask.

"Madara."

"Please. Call me Tobi for now." said Tobi, peering at Pain through the lone eyehole in his mask. "Have you heard the tale yet?"

"Orochimaru's death?" questioned Pain as Tobi nodded. "What of it? A nuisance was handled by Itachi's brother. Was there something I missed?"

"Sasuke is searching for Itachi at the moment. And Deidara is searching for Sasuke." said Tobi, getting Pain to narrow his eyes.

"That boy. Is he good enough to take out either?" questioned Pain, a bit nervous at that prospect.

He was already losing members left and right. Sure he had only a few more Bijuu to go but he'd like to keep the people he so precariously drafted to his cause. Losing more would only make their task that much more taxing when it came down to it.

"I'm not sure. I was just merely relaying the details." said Tobi, turning his back. "If Deidara is foolish enough to try to kill Sasuke Uchiha. Then he will be foolish enough to die if it comes to it. I will not save him."

"I will not lose another member."

"No worries. If Sasuke manages to kill Itachi. Whether he killed Deidara or not won't matter once he's on our side." said Tobi, Sharigan visible behind his eyehole. "He'll be the only thing we need at that point."

Tobi began to disappear in a swirl like vortex, leaving Pain and Konan alone.

"Nagato. Are you sure we can trust that man?" asked Konan. "The only members left in the Akatsuki are Zetsu, Naruto, Itachi, and Deidara besides ourselves and Madara. The first three being brought in by that man himself..."

"We can't trust him. I've never trusted any of them." said Pain in return. "So long as our dreams come true in the end. I couldn't careless about loyalty. If I have that weapon. No one will be able to oppose me. Or us. We will create trust through pain."

Konan merely stared at her longest and oldest friend before just nodding her head. She believed in him and trusted him above all else. And he hadn't ever let her down.

_(3 days later - with Naruto)_

"You sure this is what you want to do."

"Yes."

"I don't think it's that wise..."

"What you think is irrelevant. This is between me and my brother." said Itachi, mangekyo Sharingan boring into Naruto. "You will not take this away from me. It is my condition from before and you will honor it."

"Never said I would go back on my word. Just thought you'd like to know my thoughts on what you were doing." said Naruto. "But I see that they are too irrelevant. Later Itachi. For what it's worth, you were like the brother I never had."

"I have a brother. But I too agree with that sentiment." said Itachi. The two nodded to one another as Naruto began to walk out of the room they were in.

"I'll be sure to keep anyone besides him from coming."

"Good. Don't forget what you need to do upon my death."

"Yeah Yeah..." said Naruto, halfway out the door before he stopped. Turning once more to Itachi, Naruto saw him just casually take a sit on a stone chair. "Gonna miss you man."

Continuing his exit, Naruto arrived outside as he leapt down several houses before coming to a seat on one of them. Waiting for nearly half an hour, Naruto eventually felt three chakra signatures heading for him. With one of them actually sensing him right back.

Seeing Sasuke arrive with two others, Naruto stood up as he inspected Sasuke's company. One was a tall, orange-haired man with a serene look on his face. Turning to the other, Naruto gasped at what he saw.

"Uzumaki.." said Naruto lowly, drawing the redhead girl's attention. Feeling her invade his body by sensing it, Naruto saw the girl shiver before backing up slowly. "I'm only allowed to let Sasuke continue."

"Is Itachi there?" questioned Sasuke as Naruto easily nodded. "Jugo. Karin. Stay here."

Sasuke easily walked pass Naruto, who's eyes hadn't left Karin.

"Karin was it?" questioned Naruto, getting the girl to nod her head. "You're an Uzumaki?"

"I was never given a last name.." said Karin, pushing her glasses back up. Seeing Naruto to take a step toward her, Karin subconsciously took a step back.

"Karin..you felt my chakra. While potent, I know you can feel how warm it is." said Naruto, getting a shaky nod out of her. "I won't harm you. I promise. I just need to confirm something."

"Confirm what?"

"That you are my kin." said Naruto, getting Karin's eyes to widen. "I'm going to walk to you. Please don't back up this time. Would make it much harder than it needs to be."

Karin acquiesced Naruto's request as she stood still while he walked forward. Karin could feel his chakra and knew he could snap her and Jugo, together if need be, like a twig. This was a dangerous man but he seemed desperate to find fondness between himself and her.

A poof of smoke appeared in front of Naruto as his white chokuto appeared in hand. Karin watched the sword come out the seal before feeling it hit her.

_"I didn't even see him move to stab her..." _thought Jugo, seeing Naruto extend the blade into Karin. While Karin was having trouble breathing, Jugo noticed something off. _"The blade didn't go into her..."_

"You're an Uzumaki.." said Naruto, sword never piercing Karin's skin. Just basically touching her without even pressing into the skin. Seeing Naruto rear back before stabbing her with more force, the same thing occurred. "My sword can't harm those with Uzumaki blood. My ka-chan created a seal specifically designed to stop her from causing any friendly fire during the war."

Karin, having had three heart attacks in the past minute, was still having trouble breathing. One, Naruto's chakra was extremely scary. Two, Naruto just attempted to stab her. And three, Naruto tried to stab her a second time.

"Hmm. I think I broke her." said Naruto, looking to Jugo as he just nodded his head. Naruto looked back at Karin as he snapped a few times. "Hey, there's something I want to ask you and it'd help if you weren't frozen."

Karin merely just to continued to statue in front of Naruto as he sighed.

"I should of just tried to scrap her arm.."

* * *

**And that's a chapter. **

**Sorry about the length. Had I of continued. I would not of been able to stop for a long while. So I ended it here. **

**And double sorry about the length betwixt chapters. Just happens. Until next time though. **

**Leave a review or shoot me a pm. **

**-Hamp Out**


	20. Forward

**Bang Bang. Chapter 20. Enjoy**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. One day I shall. Maybe. Hopefully. Nah, probably never. But a man can dream can't he? A man can dream indeed.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Forward**

"Uchiha. Itachi." spoke Naruto, standing in the rain. The once sturdy stronghold had been blown apart by the battle between the Uchiha brothers. A battle that left Naruto's partner dead. "Died even with a smile on your face."

Staring down at his now ex-partner, Naruto's violet eyes shined in the gloomy atmosphere. Closing said eyes, Naruto said a silent prayer for his lost friend. A crow landed on Naruto's shoulder just as a vortex opened next to him.

"Naruto."

"Heh. No childish voice anymore Tobi?"

"No more need for it. We are close to our goals now." said Tobi, standing behind Naruto. Naruto was still looking at Itachi as he didn't plan to turn to the masked man. "You aren't thinking of taking Itachi's body are you?"

"And if I did?"

"I'd have to stop you. That body isn't yours." said Tobi, actually getting Naruto to turn an eye to him. "His body belongs to the Uchiha clan."

"And as _Uchiha_ _Madara_, you plan to claim it?" questioned Naruto, emphasizing the name Madara. That didn't miss Tobi's ears but he only nodded at the question. "Good thing I don't need it. I'd just like to know what I'm doing next."

"Rokubi."

"Hmm. Would have figured I'd get the Hachibi or the Kyubi."

"Sasuke will be handling the Hachibi when the time comes." said Madara, getting a raised eyebrow from Naruto. "And Pain will be taking the Kyubi."

"Are you sure Sasuke can handle the Hachibi? If he can't beat an already dying Itachi, the Hachibi will murder him if they meet."

"Your task is the Rokubi. Do not worry about things that don't concern you." said Madara with some bite.

Bite that actually got Naruto to react to the hostile tone he heard. Madara felt Naruto's chakra spike as he got on edge. The additional narrowed eye from Naruto wasn't any less threatening.

_"The problem of having subordinates that can pose me a threat..."_ thought Madara, managing to not waver visibly in front of Naruto.

Tobi wasn't scared to fight Naruto. Just wary of the swordsman. And because of that, he'd enjoy avoiding a fight with Naruto if possible. The struggle a fight with the Mist shinobi wasn't worth showing why he was leader and why he gave out the orders.

Luckily, it was avoidable as Naruto simply grinned and stopped channeling his chakra.

"Rokubi it is... _Madara_."

Naruto turned to Itachi one last time before taking steps away from the two Uchihas. Madara watched him walk away as he finally took notice of the crow still perched on Naruto's shoulder. Looking down to Itachi and then back at Naruto, Madara wondered about the summoning.

_"That's Itachi's crow..."_ thought Madara, watching Naruto vanish pass the horizon. He'd have to find out why Naruto had it. _"I have to get to Sasuke but I can't let that pass without investigating. That has to mean something."_

Naruto was a problem. The power he possesses is invaluable but he was becoming an unknown commodity. And the unknown was to always be feared.

_(2 days later)_

"No"

"No?"

"No."

"But I thought..."

"I do..but just no."

"You're not making sense Hime."

An exasperated breath was Naruto's answer as Mei put down her pen. Closing her eyes, Mei took a moment to just enjoy the presence of her lover. Mainly because he was massaging her tense shoulders.

"I love the massage. Always do. It's just the... this." said Mei, slapping her hand down on the sheet of paper. Rolling her head back to look up at Naruto, Mei stared at his smiling face. "And you already knew that...see, this is why I say no."

"I say yes. You're doing an amazing job as Mizukage."

"I can't help but feel like you'd do better." said Mei, closing her eyes again as she spoke. "You're not only the strongest person I know. But you're intuitive. It's like you just know. Know me, know Kiri, know the world. And despite your Akatsuki, super villain status...Kiri still loves and adores you. I always regret not stopping-"

A long kiss interrupted Mei that ended her speech. Feeling Mei go slack, Naruto ended the kiss as Mei's eyes opened slowly from the impromptu smooch.

"Don't say those things Hime. You're doing great. And Kiri is blessed to have you as its Mizukage." said Naruto, a confidence inducing smile on his face. "All the things you've done. Stabilizing the economy, ending the Purist ideal, and rebuilding Kiri back into a respectable hidden village. I can't see anyone doing it better than you Mei-chan. Just because Kiri loves and adores me doesn't me that don't love and adore you too. You're amazing "

_"How do you do that? That confidence inducing aura and calming effect. Ever since we were little...You say it and it becomes."_ thought Mei, thinking about Naruto.

At ten, he made her believe he was going to win the Chunin Exams despite Konoha's dominance in the event. And yet he won over a Jinchuriki that used his Bijuu. At 13, he convinced her he was going to end the war despite Yagura's tyrannical reign as Mizukage. And within a year, he did just that in vainglorious fashion.

Even now, he was making her believe she was a rightful Mizukage. For the things she did, was doing, and planned to do. He said she was better than he would have been. And well since Naruto said it, it must be-

"I never said you would be a better Mizukage than me." said Naruto, getting Mei out of her thoughts.

"I mean it was implied. You said anyone."

"I'm not just anyone Hime." said Naruto, causing a smirk to come to Mei's face.

"Then who are you?"

"Definitively?"

"Sure."

"Well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." said the swordsman, sweetly pecking Mei on the lips. "A criminal of a soon to be highest degree." a slightly longer peck. "Your future ex-husband." a longer kiss with a hand sliding down the skin exposed by Mei's dress. Mei began smiling into the kiss as Naruto continued defining himself. "And I'm the guy about to leave you riled up while I go hunt the Rokubi."

That last one got Mei's attention as she paused mid kiss and her smile ended abruptly.

"You're what..." said Mei, catching a grin as Naruto dissipated into mist. Mei gripped the chair she was sitting in tightly as she growled. "Oh...oh...I..Naru-"

"Gotcha." cut off Naruto as the mist reformed into the swordsman. Staring up at Mei from his new spot kneeling between her legs. "Allow me to make that up to you."

Mei was still a bit angry at the Shark sage. But like she thought earlier, Naruto had a confidence inducing aura and calming effect. The latter she was thoroughly about to enjoy as she was pretty tense now.

_(Amegakure - 1 week later)_

"It will be a couple weeks before I can capture the Kyubi.."

"The Toad Sage took that much out of you?"

"Jiraiya was my sensei and a man to never be trifled with. He'd have killed me had I sent all of Pain at him in the beginning."

"The man was a Sannin for a reason. But maybe this timing works out." spoke Madara, standing in the corner of Pain's tower. "The only ones left in Akatsuki are you, Konan, Zetsu, and _Naruto_."

Konan stood next to Pain and didn't miss the slight tone inflection from Madara when he spoke Naruto's name. She wanted to know more about that.

"Madara. Is Sasuke now apart of Akatsuki?"

"No. The boy is not. He's merely his own entity that can be manipulated into furthering our goals."

"Will he be enough to take on the Hachibi?" questioned Konan, getting a shake of the head from Madara. "Then why not send Naruto?"

A noticeable pause happened from Madara but he merely spoke like everything was fine.

"Naruto has captured 3 of the 7 Jinchuriki we have. And likely will capture the Hachibi after Sasuke gets a reality check." said Madara, standing up at this point. Seems he wanted to leave. Wonder what happened betwixt him and Naruto. "In that instance. I will send Naruto. I want Sasuke to face the Jinchuriki first. It's a necessity of mine."

Konan and Pain both stayed silent as it didn't matter how or who got the Hachibi, only that someone did. But as the Uchiha legend warped away, Konan turned immediately to her teammate.

"I know Konan. I was here and heard everything." said the Rinnegan wielder as he looked to Konan. "Seems Naruto, while doing his job, is grinding Madara's gears."

"Do you think possibly that Naruto may have his own agenda Nagato?"

"It's tough to tell. Maybe it's time I had a face to face with the swordsman." said Nagato, pupil in his eyes widening a bit. "A real face to face. The boy should know me and I should know him. Especially what he's planning. It has to be something to get Madara to act that way."

"Are you sure that's the wisest idea Nagato? Weren't you skeptical of his whereabouts during Sasori's death?"

That paused Nagato for a moment. He had been wondering where Naruto was. Unlike Itachi, Naruto's faux body didn't die until after the death of Sasori. Nagato had felt it. But could never fully pin Naruto down for his whereabouts.

"That is what this face to face is for. I will find out the swordsman's intentions. Whether he is with us or against us." said Nagato, 6 figures walking up to surround him. "And I shall get to the bottom of his endgame in our organization."

The 6 figures behind Nagato all opened their eyes to show matching Rinnegan. Time for Naruto to appear before a God.

* * *

_(1 week later - Konoha)_

Black clothing. A single tear. And a gloomy atmosphere. The scene one Senju Tsunade happened to be the focal point of. And her brown eyes were staring at a freshly imprinted name on the Memorial Stone.

_"Jiraiya.." _thought Tsunade, another tear sliding down her face.

The first bet she'd ever won in seemingly forever and it happened to kill one of her friends in the process. Her closest friend. And in that win, she felt she still lost.

He'd gone on a hunch. And in that hunch found the leader of Akatsuki. The leader managing to kill the powerful Sannin in the process on a mission Tsunade herself sanctioned. Not like she could stop him anyway but it was a sinking feeling to know he'd gone without a tougher fight from her.

And that sinking feeling she felt was all conspired by one organization. An organization that was becoming a threat to the world as they've collected 7 of the 9 Bijuu before anyone decided to take collective action.

No joint task force by the nations. No treaties to quickly exterminate the threat. No anything from the villages until it was too late.

Yes, they'd killed over three quarters of the organization. But in turn, they'd loss 7 of the most powerful beings on this planet to the same group. A group that still had several powerful people that scared Tsunade to a certain degree.

"Pain. Leader of the Akatsuki. And whoever his partner is. Konan I believe her name." said Tsunade, speaking aloud to herself. "The plant thing named Zetsu that is apparently the Earth itself. Tobi, a man that while an idiot has an ability to faze through any attack. And finally, Naruto. The sage of the mist."

"Is that what they're calling me these days?"

Tsunade's reacted to the voice as she turned with a fist ready. Sending it at the swordsman, Tsunade was shocked when Naruto simply palmed her fist. Naruto stood sans his Akatsuki cloak as he had on black clothing to match Tsunade's.

"That troubled that you didn't even put chakra into that punch." said Naruto, still holding Tsunade's fist in his hands.

"Naruto..." said Tsunade lowly with wide eyes.

Tsunade's eyes widened further as Naruto slowly pulled her in for a hug. A strong and firm hug as Tsunade could feel her sealed emotions coming forward. She didn't fight the hug one bit as she let the taller sage hold her tightly.

"He was a great man. I didn't know him for long but in the time we spent together, I'm grateful to have known him." said Naruto, feeling Tsunade's arms wrap around him to return the hug.

He could feel the Hokage crying into his chest as he closed his eyes and rested his chin atop her head. Naruto sensed the Anbu guards of Tsunade's all ready to lay waste to him but he cared not. He didn't acknowledge them one bit.

Right now, it was just he and Tsunade. Mourning the death of a man who impacted both of their lives.

_(Sometime later)_

"Thank you. For that."

"Not a problem." said Naruto, seated in front of the Hokage sans his shirt.

He never wore a shirt usually but for the memorial of Jiraiya, he felt it necessary. He'd taken it off now though because Tsunade had soaked it in tears.

"You know they know you're not immobilized right?" questioned Tsunade, looking at the chakra shackles on Naruto.

"Yeah. I can feel their chakra. They're a bit nervous. For good reason I guess." said Naruto, holding up the powerful chains that bound him. "Intricate seal work on these. Top notch for sure."

"I'm an Uzumaki too you know. I know a few things about Fuinjutsu."

"Oh I can tell. So what did you need me for?"

"I couldn't have just called you to ask how you were doing?" replied Tsunade with a smirk.

"You could. But that's not why you did." said Naruto, shark grin on his face opposing Tsunade's smirk. "And for the sake of posterity, it couldn't have been to capture me. Because meh, it could be done better. So, what is this call for? I have another one I'm supposed to be to in a few days."

"Right to the point I see."

"Never pleasure before business. That can wait."

"Yes it can. My reason for calling you is simple." said Tsunade, placing her hands under her chin. "I want Akatsuki dead."

"My my... Such a request you have for me." said Naruto, seeing Tsunade deathly serious about this. The stare he was getting from the woman managed to show the power hidden behind her delicate appearance. _"Just like Mei. Beautiful beyond comprehension but could beat anybody's ass any given day." _thought Naruto, ending his nonchalant demeanor. It was business time. "This can't be an eye for an eye thing is it?"

"While the death of my teammate is a tragic one. That singular instance isn't why I want Akatsuki dead. It's all of them."

"You realize I had a part in those other instances you speak of. Are you suggesting I kill Akatsuki and then commit suicide?"

"If that's what you so choose. Or I can personally execute you myself." said Tsunade, getting Naruto to perk up at that. "I did some studying. And while you'll never confirm or deny, I believe I know your plan." continued Tsunade, getting a raised eyebrow from Naruto at the last word. "These are just assumptions of course so I may be wrong. But you doing all these things for Akatsuki only to protect Kiri. It can't be that cut and dry."

"It could be."

"Indeed. But I believe it's not. Because I know you." said Tsunade. "Not much. Not as much as I'd like. But enough to throw out a wild theory. A theory that involves you killing Akatsuki from the inside out."

"What makes you come to that conclusion?"

"You don't kill unless necessary. Proof of your meetings with my shinobi. Only innocent kills you have are the Jinchuriki and as far as that goes, which ones have you personally dealt with?" questioned Tsunade, getting an intrigued look from Naruto in return. "The tyrannical Yagura, the sadistic Roshi, and a rogue Utakata from none other than Kiri. Which you were a hunter ninja of that likely would have been given the task of hunting him down anyway."

"I had a hand in sealing the others."

"Out of necessity for your plan. And while that may constitute killing innocents, I think you did it for your endgame."

"An endgame. I like that. What's my endgame?"

"I said it already. Murdering Akatsuki with the power you possess, the sage status you've achieved, and the chakra you've collected from the 7 Bijuu."

The almost imperceptible twitch she got from Naruto brought a small smirk to Tsunade's face.

"That last part. How?"

"We analyzed the scales of Samehada that Anko stole during our last encounter." said Tsunade, getting a smile from Naruto in the process.

"That hug. Heh, she got me." said Naruto, smiling harder at the thought. Looking back up at Tsunade, Naruto's eyes flashed gold for a second. "While I won't agree to your asking of me killing Akatsuki, I would like to know one thing if I do."

"What is that?"

"What is Kiri's fate should I feel it necessary to execute the organization I'm a member of? Because taking out the remaining Akatsuki, even one might cost my life." questioned Naruto. "So if my whole reason for joining Akatsuki was to protect Kiri. Will you take my place should I perish?"

"You'd have to ask Terumi Mei in that scenario." said Tsunade in reply before adding. "But Konoha would honor your sacrifice by reaching terms on an alliance with Kiri. It's the least we can do to continue your self-imposed duties."

Naruto sat staring at Tsunade for a long moment before letting out a sigh. Chakra binds deactivating with that sigh, Naruto put everyone in the room on alert.

"Not the answer I wanted to hear. Though there really wasn't a correct one. Plus, when I hear Konoha alliance, I think of Uzushio and Konoha's response during their destruction." spoke Naruto, sparks of lightning beginning to flutter at his feet. Naruto was letting his chakra fully flow as he continued speaking. "But who am I to take that one instance and not think of the four shinobi they sent to assist me in facing down Yagura and his purist army. Heh, be pretty wrong of me to think of that monumental difference they made."

The sarcasm in Naruto's voice was easily identified as his chakra continued to rise. Tsunade was about ready to respond herself at the extreme buildup of chakra when her Anbu did for her.

"My 'endgame', if I even have one, would already ensure Kiri's aspired peace will forever be upheld. While I'm thankful to you for what you've done in my life...don't speak to me as if I owe you something. Or should be grateful for what Konoha can do for my home." said Naruto, dispatching the 6 Anbu while he spoke. The minimal effort he did that with was astounding. Lightning continued sparking up and around Naruto as he stared dead at Tsunade. "I'll be seeing you soon Tsunade-dono."

Blue shading appeared on Naruto's body as his eyes shined a terrifying gold. The white lightning fluttering around him looked equally scary before he vanished in a series of sparks.

"Tsunade-sama." came the voice of Kakashi, surrounded by several other Jonin. Looking at the motionless but still alive Anbu, Kakashi confirmed what he felt. "Naruto."

Tsunade just nodded as she looked out to the sun. While not the conversation she had hoped for, the Senju woman couldn't help but smile.

_"I know you have one. I'd be willing to bet on it."_ thought Tsunade, seeing the shark grin on Naruto's face before he left. _"Can't__ wait to see that endgame."_

_(Amegakure - 2 days later)_

Laughter. A deep belly laugh. One that originates from the pit of one's stomach and reverberates up through the chest and out the mouth. That's the kind of laugh Naruto was having right now.

A laugh that was no way reciprocated by the other two in the room. Nagato and Konan both looked at the swordsman trying to find out what was so funny. Naruto eventually simmered down his laugh as he looked at the two founders of Akatsuki.

"Why do you presume I have some ultimate endgame? Second time I've heard this in 48 hours. I just don't get it.." said Naruto, violet eyes shining with mirth.

The look on his face didn't help make Nagato or Konan believe him. It was almost like he was being sarcastic but his words seemed truthful.

_"A master of Genjutsu...and it seems his command over reality is the same." _thought Nagato, looking at the swordsman. He'd been talking to the boy for a little over ten minutes and nothing. _"Maybe Naruto doesn't have an endgame. Maybe he's just trying to find his reason for existing and in proxy landed in our organization. From his words, I'd never know."_ thought Nagato, looking at Naruto. _"But__ there's one way to know whether he's telling the truth or not."_

"Nagato." said Konan, getting Nagato to look at Naruto again. He'd been moving his Naraka Path over and didn't even notice Naruto pull out his chokuto. Seems his quick draw was faster than Nagato's eyes could perceive. "Let us not make this more than it has to be."

"What precisely does it have to be Konan?" questioned Naruto, looking at the beautiful kunoichi while his sword was at Nagato's throat. The white blade of his chokuto glinted as Naruto turned to Nagato. "Leader-sama apparently wants to make it more than what it has to be. And more than likely, what it is."

"We are just trying to ascertain what you plan to do once our main mission of capturing every Bijuu is completed." said Konan, getting Naruto to turn back to her. "You were forced into this organization by Madara and has since been its main contributor. We just want to know what you plan to do after that. And can't get a firm grasp on it because your words come out with no tangible answer. Nor do your actions. The few we've heard of."

Naruto stared into the amber eyes of Konan as he let her words sink in for a few moments. Chokuto poofing back into its seal, Naruto leveled a grin to his superior.

"That's easy. There is no tangible answer to what I plan to do." said Naruto, looking back to Nagato. "And for that, I'll gladly get the lie detector. I assume that's what that Path of Pain can do?"

Nagato seemed skeptical still of Naruto. Mainly, how did Naruto know what that Pain did. But he wouldn't put it pass the shinobi before him. To be a master of deception like he was, he'd have to know enough information to warp someone's reality into a realistic existence.

And that very reason was why Nagato didn't trust him. There was no way someone with control and ability like his that worked without a plan. Could it? He was willingly about to face the King of Hell to prove it though and in that, Nagato felt somewhat at ease.

_"Regardless of my personal opinion. Naraka Path will ease my worries." _thought Nagato, staring at the still smiling face of Naruto.

* * *

_(Amegakure - Hours later)_

"So Ame huh?"

"Yes. It is my home. Mine and Nagato's."

"And you and he..did all this?" questioned Naruto, standing upon the ledge of Nagato's tower. He was standing out in the rain as the droplets melded with him before falling straight through. "I heard about Ame. And the tight control Hanzo had over it. I can't imagine you two ever grew enough power to oppose him. Would have figured he'd shut down you both before you could ever do that."

"He tried to. A long time ago." said Konan, standing beside Naruto with a paper umbrella. She couldn't avoid rain like he could. "There was once three of us."

"Three?"

"Yes. Three of us." came the voice of Nagato, through his orange haired Path. "His name was Yahiko and he was the original founder of Akatsuki. You're looking at his body."

"How did he die?" questioned Naruto, getting the two Ame ninjas to pause. Feeling the fluctuations in their chakra, Naruto turned back to the weather. "Sorry for asking."

"No. It's fine. Just a subject we don't like to remember."

"I understand. But it seems we have company." said Naruto, turning an eye inside to see a vortex appearing.

"Nagato, Konan, Naruto. We have things to discuss." said Madara, looking at the three through his eyehole. Though his eye lingered on Naruto seeing a smile from the swordsman. _"I may have to eliminate him." _thought Madara, watching the three walk into the room. _"Out of all of them, he poses the biggest threat."_

Naruto's eyes flashed gold at Madara as that got Madara to narrow his eye behind his mask. It was almost like he was reading his thoughts. It felt like it from the challenging flash of his eyes but that was thrown out the window when Naruto turned abruptly.

"Zetsu!" shouted Naruto to nothing as he spun with a palm up. As Naruto finished his spin, the plant man rose up at that moment with the white side high fiving Naruto as he rose from the ground. "Man. That one sounded sweet."

"Yeah it did. Hello Naruto-kun!" shouted white Zetsu cheerfully.

Naruto just smiled back before nodding to the black half. He received a nod back before Madara got his attention again with a clap. It was business time again.

_(1 week later)_

"Things seem to be progressing don't they?" questioned Naruto, sitting atop a tree branch alone. Mist surrounded him as Naruto was eating an apple and swinging his feet back and forth. "I mean. It almost feels like the climax is nearing."

"Yes. It does. Are you sure about going through with this?"

"Of course."

"You almost got caught by that Rinnegan wielder."

"Heh. I'm always careful Same-chan. No worries." said Naruto, taking another bite of his apple.

The King of Hell. An entity that held onto one's very soul. And any false statement resulting in the tearing out of said soul. A very efficient interrogation tactic because apparently Nagato received your memories at that point. Even more efficient.

But Naruto stayed calm. Getting asked about his plans was easy because Naruto didn't have a plan. At least one that was detailed and thought out. He'd said back before it all started that he was going to kill Akatsuki but never had a plan for it. Was it a cop out, yes. But a cop out was better than getting his soul ripped out or being distrusted by Nagato and Konan.

He needed those two to handle Madara. His ability to faze through attacks was still something Naruto couldn't figure out. He knew how to beat Konan. How to beat Nagato. And was positive he could annihilate Zetsu should it come to it. But Madara was a different ballpark.

_"Itachi said Madara wasn't the real Madara. But that doesn't detract from the man's abilities." _thought Naruto, taking another bite. _"Intangibility and space time ninjutsu. Orochimaru himself didn't have much on him. I need more information on him if I plan to ever face him in a battle. And hopefully Konan and/or Nagato can give me that information." _

Naruto stared out for a few more moments before nodding his head. Still no plan, but he knew what he needed to do. And he intended to do it.

"You sure?"

"Not at all same-chan. But just because I'm not sure doesn't mean I won't do it. I feel I must." said Naruto, taking another bite from his apple. "The things that will occur don't sit right with me. And what better way to nip it in the bud than to do it with a sentient sharkskin blade."

"Why not just use your chokuto?"

"Aww same-chan. Are you still jealous about that?"

"Yes. Yes I am. That blade can already do things. It's not fair it got _that _too."

"Same-chan. You can already do things. You eat chakra. Store chakra. Can talk. Can move by yourself. And can merge with my body." said Naruto, turning to the sentient blade. Samehada seemed to huff and turn away as Naruto grinned. "I need both of my blades to be equally powerful."

"Well I don't. What happens to me if that sword is more useful."

"Nothing. You know you're my favorite Same-chan. You always will be."

"Really?" questioned Samehada as it turned its head to Naruto. Seeing a nod and feeling no deception from his chakra, the scales along the sword seemed to jump with excitement. "Oh Naruto-kun. I love love love you!"

"I love you too Same-chan." said Naruto, hugging the sword as it curled into him. Naruto just continued coddling the sword before turning his head to the left. "Nice of you to finally show."

Jumping into view, Sasuke and his two teammates arrived on the tree next to Naruto. Sasuke's stare was indifferent as he looked at the once partner of his deceased brother.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh. Was just hanging out. Thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing."

"Hn."

"And also wanted to know why you were heading through the Land of Iron like a man possessed." said Naruto, spotting Karin and smiling. He got a smile back from the redhead before turning to Jugo. Looking back to Sasuke, Naruto continued. "If you'd please enlighten me, I'd be sure to get out of your way."

"I don't have time for this." said Sasuke, now standing in front of Naruto with his blade at his throat. "Move. This doesn't concern you."

A chakra spike got Karin's attention as she knew Sasuke shouldn't be threatening the man before them. A chuckle came from Naruto as he looked at Sasuke.

"You really should reconsider your current course of action." said Naruto, deathly serious as he stared right into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's blade sliced into Naruto's neck as he sighed. "Hmm. What a _foolish little brother._"

"What?" said Sasuke, watching Naruto vanish into mist and reform into Itachi. Sasuke saw the terrifying glare of his brother's eyes as he blinked rapidly. "Genjutsu. On me..."

"The Uchiha clan isn't the best at the enigmatic art." said Naruto, appearing on the same tree branch as Sasuke. "I believe the Kurama clan is formidable. Genjutsu so strong they effect you in reality. But the Hozuki clan isn't far behind. A genjutsu deemed more a mirage."

"Where is the real you?" questioned Sasuke, dispelling that Naruto just like Itachi. Turning around, Sasuke saw another Naruto form. "I can do this all day."

"Yes. Yes you can. Sadly I'm not here to gauge your skill level. I care not. You're insignificant as you are." said Naruto, standing on the ground looking up at Sasuke. "You have potential. And those eyes of yours are the same as Itachi's." that dropping of a name got a twitch out of Sasuke. "So rather than ask nicely and come to terms. I'm going to threaten you because I can. If you plan to kill Danzo for some vendetta against Konoha. Go for it. I don't care. That doesn't matter to me."

"What does?"

"What does is Mei. If a hair is out of place on the Mizukage's head, I will kill you slowly." said Naruto, chakra causing the very air itself to increase in weight. Sasuke's eyelid was twitching as he strained to stay upright. "Do not even come close to her or I will kill you. Nothing on this Earth would protect you. Not even those eyes of yours."

Sasuke was contemplating the words before a hand of lightning passed right beside his head. Sasuke's eyes widened as he didn't even see Naruto move. Though he was technically still under that mirage apparently as he saw the mist in the area dissipate.

Standing with his head a few inches from Sasuke's and his Raigeki senkou jutting pass the other side, Naruto spoke once more.

"Seriously. You're not ready for the potential fight you'd get from me if you harm her be it intentionally or inadvertently." said Naruto, seeing a bead of sweat slide down Sasuke's cheek. Naruto smiled at the nervous Uchiha as he let his jutsu dissipate and placed that arm around Sasuke's shoulder. "I think you're a pussy for doing what you're doing even after hearing Itachi's story and wishes from _Madara_. But it's your life kid. Do with it what you want."

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, turning to look at Naruto.

"You know what I mean. I know Itachi and now you do too. And to 'honor' him by killing Danzo or anyone isn't the answer." said Naruto, still looking straight ahead. "But that's just my opinion. You form your own thoughts. That's what Itachi wanted in the first place. Ja ne."

Sasuke said nothing as Naruto waved to Karin and slowly faded away into mist.

_(With Naruto)_

Humming softly to himself, Naruto was walking slowly through the forest outlying the Land of Iron. Naruto could feel Samehada twitching with anticipation as he himself sported a toothy grin.

"You can finally feel it Same-chan?"

"The chakra. I can feel it. Might be the best one yet."

"I believe his chakra beast is that of an octopus. And octopus is delicious."

"Could Correlate. That slug of a Rokubi had great chakra but it tasted..." said Samehada, noticeable disgust to its voice.

Naruto only nodded before letting his chakra flow. Lightning fluttered around him as his grin widened.

"Well let us get to it shall we Same-chan!" shouted Naruto, getting Samehada to shake in agreement.

White lightning traveled up Naruto's body before covering him completely. A dragon's head formed as its red eyes glowed ominously. A roar erupted from the chakra dragon as it bolted through the trees. Coming to a stop in a seemingly random clearing, Naruto stepped out of the lightning dragon with a smile on his face.

"I rhyme and I rip. Hachibi-sama never trips! Yeeeeaaahh!" shouted a man before stopping. Looking over, the man saw Naruto smiling at him. "Who are you ya fool? Surprising me is never cool."

"Hello Killer Bee, big fan. I am Uzumaki Naruto and I'm here to capture you." said Naruto, feeling chakra build up from the Jinchuriki. He tried to seem unfazed by Naruto's words but chakra didn't lie. Seems he'd heard of Naruto too and was rightfully worried. "It is a pleasure to meet you. The second man I've met hailed as a perfect Jinchuriki."

_"Bee. Do not trifle with him. He will defeat you if you're not careful."_ spoke the Hachibi to his partner.

_"I wouldn't think of it Hachibi." _thought Bee in reply, completely serious.

"Ponta!" shouted another man holding an axe three times the size of himself. He was looking at a giant raccoon that had rushed Naruto and got promptly kicked through several trees. "I've heard of you Uzumaki Naruto."

"I'm glad you have. But please stay out of this. It doesn't concern you and I'm not one for senseless killing." said Naruto before dodging a sword. A poof of smoke and Naruto was now holding his mother's blade as he blocked another sword. "This kenjutsu..."

Naruto looked at Killer Bee to see him somehow holding 8 blades at the same time. Seeing him spin, toss the swords, grab them, stab, slash, and control them with remarkable fluidity, Naruto was getting excited.

"This is one of the best styles I've ever seen." said Naruto, blocking the never ending strikes with his own brand of Kenjutsu.

_"He can keep up with the 8 swords style." _thought Killer Bee, not in the mood for rapping like normal. The man before him was a powerhouse and deserved his full attention. _"No one besides bro can do that." _

"Show me something Hachibi!" shouted Naruto, continuing to block the strikes. Killer Bee granted Naruto's wish as a tentacle came out of his back and thrust one of the blades right at Naruto. Naruto was surprised by the attack before feeling the other man approaching. _"He backed me up to receive assistance. He's pretty good." _

Killer Bee and the man hit pay dirt as they stabbed Naruto and sliced into him. Though immediately feeling something off as Naruto fazed out of sight to be replaced by a chibi version of himself. The chibi version of Naruto had the sword stabbed cleanly through its chest as the other man's axe was halfway through its body.

"What is the meaning of this?" questioned the man before seeing the Chibi Naruto vibrate.

Killer Bee and the man were confused by the fast movement before watching the chibi Naruto expand rapidly.

**BOOM!**

A steam explosion rocked the area as Killer Bee and the other man were sent careening backwards. Killer Bee recovered immediately as he had his chakra cloak protecting him. Looking over, he saw his assistant knocked out and laying next to his pet raccoon.

_"It's better for you to stay out of this Sabu-senpai." _thought Killer bee before seeing the steam settle and reveal the Chibi Naruto again. The smile on the apparent clone's face was eerie as it looked at the Jinchuriki. _"What is that thing."_

"This is a jutsu created by my grandfather. **Joki Boi (Steam Imp)**" said Naruto, fazing into existence seemingly behind the Steam Imp. Naruto still had his shark like grin as he looked at the Hachibi. "Good luck dealing with him."

_"Wake Up. It's been a Genjutsu since the beginning. A good one, I didn't notice until just now."_ said the Hachibi, ending Naruto's genjutsu causing him to disappear but not the steam imp. Seemed that was real. _"Jutsus like these. We have to find the user. He has to be weak to let something like that exist."_

_"Find the user. Got it ya fool." _thought Killer Bee, staring down the Chibi Naruto. _"Keep his Genjutsu off me will you Hachibi. Hard to fight fake and not reality, Yeaaaaahhh!"_

The fight was on again as the steam imp came sprinting at the perfect jinchuriki.

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**Another short chap sadly. But a chapter regardless. Killer Bee vs Naruto next. And some other cool shit.**

**-Hamp**


End file.
